Really, Really
by lleighhh
Summary: All-human. Slightly OOC. Sequel to "555-1073". We skip an entire year. Everyone is in college. But the thing is, they're all split up. Can they survive?
1. Prologue: Love

**A/N: Okay, so I know I said this would be up Wednesday, but I got too excited and plus one of my reviewers threatened to murder me...lmao**

**SO! Here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever have rights to any of the twilight franchise.  
...dang**

_"I guarantee that we'll have tough times, and I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us will want to get out. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know in my heart you're the one for me."_

-:-:-

There comes a time in everyone's life when you have to ask yourself two very important questions.

1. What is most important to you?

Education? Power? Wealth? Family? Fun? Love?

2. What does your future hold?

Education? Power? Wealth? Family? Fun? Love?

You can sit and ponder these questions for days on end, coming up with advantages and disadvantages for each. But when it comes down to it all, what is the one thing you value most in your life?

For me, Isabella Marie Swan, I would say love. And as I sit here going over everything that has happened to me since my new life began, I realize that none of it would have happened without love.

The love and support of my parents propelled me to enjoy college and all the experiences that come with.

The love and acceptance of my friends gave me the confidence to begin fresh, making new memories, and enjoying everything that is thrown at me.

And of course, the love and trust of my Edward gave me peace of mind that we would be together forever, no matter where life takes us.

But I can't help but wonder now, as I cry, that everything will turn out like I hoped. At one point I had imagined my happily ever after. Edward was there, so was Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper.

Slowly, that's beginning to fade away. Of course my happily ever after can't be complete without Edward. So…what happens then? What happens when your fairytale comes crashing down and the one person that can make you feel better was the same person to break your heart?

Love is still the most important thing in my life, despite the unfair turn its taken. But I'm not so sure my future holds love anymore. Not after this.

**A/N: I know its short, but thats how i do my prologues and epilogues: short and simple.**

**Now, this won't make since to you until we get farther along in the story so just hang tight!**

**Are you guys ready to bored the Emeleigh train?  
Destination: Sequelville!!**

**:P**

**Let me know what you think!  
Please Review!**

**(and we need a new tradition for this new story. you know how we did your favorite part last story? any ideas...?)**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	2. How's College Life?

**A/N: Alright...here goes nothin'**

BPOV

I helped Alice shove her ridiculous amount of luggage into Jasper's car and shut the door.

She pulled me in for a side hug as we walked back to the others.

"I'm going to miss you Ali." I choked out, trying to hold back tears.

"Aww, Bells! Don't get me started _again_." She whimpered.

It was moving day for our soon-to-be-split-up group of six.

All of us had been moping around the entire week.

We walked back into the house and I took a good look at the five loves of my life.

I couldn't believe this was happening.

It feels like only yesterday we were getting ready for our first day of senior year.

_Flashback_

"_Okay, now I want everyone to smile!…Isabella, that means you!!" Renee said as she held up her camera. "On three everybody say 'Seniors!'"_

"_1…2…3!"_

"_Seniors!" we all cheered with cheesy grins._

"_Now I just want to get one-"_

"_Mom! No more pictures, we've already taken twelve!" I laughed._

"_Fine, but don't come crying to me when you look back on this day and wish you had more memories to reminisce on." she grumbled._

_I heard my friends snickering beside me at our banter._

_A pang of sadness struck me as I only saw three faces looking back at me when I faced them._

_This year wouldn't be the same._

_Emmett and Jasper had started their first year of college at the Washington State University, leaving the rest of us behind in Forks._

_I had always wondered why Emmett and Jasper were in the same grade despite Emmett being a year older._

_Turns out, Emmett got held back in preschool because he didn't play well with others. He just wasn't 'mature enough' for elementary school yet._

_Oh, Emmett._

_So when Jasper started preschool, him and Emmett were in the same class. With his brother by his side Emmett seemed to grow up a little more, so they let him continue on to kindergarten._

_They had decided on going to college together, just so they didn't have to go through their first year away from home alone._

_Jasper was majoring in history, with a minor in social studies. He planned on being a history teacher, whether in elementary, middle, or high school, he hadn't decided. I do know that he wanted to be a college professor at some point though._

_Emmett was majoring in athletic training with a minor in sport management. He wanted to own a gym and be a personal trainer. He also played basketball for Washington State, having gotten a scholarship his senior year._

_They had left about a week ago and it just wasn't the same without them…_

_Alice and Rosalie naturally took it the hardest. But they seemed to be doing all right with the many phone calls and constant text messaging. Alice made them both sign a contract stating that they would not 'forget about their amazing girlfriends while they have a blast at college and then dump them for sorority girls.'_

_The boys didn't hesitate and kept assuring the girls they had nothing to worry about. From the times I've talked to Em and Jazz, they seemed to be just a miserable without them as Alice and Rose._

"_Come on! We have to get to school before someone steals our picnic table!" Alice hollered, not noticing my solemn mood._

_End Flashback_

The school year went smoothly, and all together drama-free. There was the occasional creepy love note Lauren would stuff in Edward's locker, but that was about it. Emmett and Jasper visited as much as possible, with many stories about their college adventures and living in the dorms. The winter formal went off without a hitch, unlike last year and the girls won first place for the basketball tournament again. The boys only got second, because most of their best players had graduated, but Edward wasn't disappointed. He knew they gave all they had.

Everything was going great until out of nowhere it snuck up on us.

College.

How were we going to stay together? We all certainly didn't have similar career choices, which meant going to the same college wasn't even an option.

After much deliberating, stress, scholarships, stress, applications, more stress, and acceptances, we found ourselves going to four different schools between the six of us.

I was attending the Washington State University with Emmett and Jasper in Pullman, Washington. It made sense because I wanted to be a teacher like Jasper and he told me they had an excellent teaching program. I was majoring in English with a minor in literary studies. My hopes were to become a high school English teacher who in her spare time worked on a novel. I knew writing wasn't the most financially dependent job out there, so I settled for writing as a hobby and maybe sending my work out to get published.

Closest to the three of us at Washington State would be Rosalie in Spokane at the Meyer Drama Academy. She decided on studying acting and theater in hopes of getting discovered and becoming a reporter for E!, or one of the other celebrity news stations. She definitely had the image for the Hollywood scene and was sure to make a big impact on the entertainment world.

Then, next closest was Alice who was attending the Central Washington University in Ellensburg. There she would major in fashion design with a minor in business. Alice had big plans and had already started making arrangements for her own clothing line that was going to be showcased in every department store across the USA. Then she would travel over seas to 'introduce those foreigners to _real_ fashion.'

Farthest from me would be Edward. We spent weeks fighting over the distance that would be between us, but there was no other choice. He would be attending the University of Washington in Seattle. It held the best pre-med program in the state and he just couldn't pass that up, especially after getting a full-ride scholarship. Edward would be majoring in pediatrics with a minor in medicine.

We stood in front of my house staring at each other, Alice and I still in our awkward side hug. Rose quickly let go of Emmett and joined us as a single tear streamed down her face.

"Y-you guys-s can't l-leave m-m-me." Alice sobbed into my shoulder.

"Oh Alice…" was all Rose and I managed to squeak out before the water works began.

We probably stood there bawling for a good ten minutes before I was pulled into Edward's embrace.

"We have to get going, love." He whispered in my ear.

I looked up at him and could tell he was trying so hard to be strong. His face was pained and I knew he was holding back tears himself. I just nodded and walked with him to the Volvo.

Edward and I would be traveling to Seattle first with Emmett and Rose following. After getting Edward all moved in I would go with Emmett and Rose to Spokane to get Rosalie settled in. Emmett and I would then meet Jasper in Pullman after he helped Alice get her things settled and move in to our own dorm rooms. We had a big day of driving ahead of us.

I quickly ran over to Alice and gave her a tight hug before we left for good. "I want to see you on the cover of Vogue in a month missy." I joked.

"And you better show those Washington punks what real literature is." She chuckled. "Promise to call me tomorrow."

"I promise. I love you Alice." I sniffed before letting go.

"Love you too Bells."

I handed her off to Rosalie who I would say goodbye to later when we left Spokane. Climbing in the car I took a shaky breath, knowing that this was only the first of hard goodbyes I would have to make today.

Edward had one hand on the steering wheel the entire way, with his other hand linked in mine resting on the center console.

We didn't talk, it was just silence the whole way there. I watched the trees zoom by as Edward went incredibly faster than the actual speed limit, and thought about all our happy memories.

How we met, the first time he called me, that first day of school, our many text messages, the night Edward carried me to my room after the football game, how scared I was when the guys took us mudding, winter formal (minus Tanya), the basketball supper, Christmas break…there were so many. I just kept replaying them in my head over and over until we finally reached Seattle.

"We're here." Edward said carefully as he opened my door.

I took his hand and stepped out. Emmett and Rose pulled in beside us and we started unloading all of Edward's things.

_Oh no, here it comes…_

Reality washed over me as I realized we were taking _his_ things to _his_ dorm, where he would live, _without_ me. I held back the sob that I knew would come spilling out if I let my guard down. Rosalie noticed and gave me a quick hug, letting me know it would all be okay. I slowly grabbed a box and followed Edward up the stairs to his dorm room. I was planning to draw this out as long as I could.

He opened the door and inside was a young looking boy with very dark hair and tan skin sitting at a desk.

"Hey, you must be my roomie. I'm Seth, Seth Clear." He said as he stood up.

"Edward Cullen. And this is my girlfriend Bella, my friend Rosalie, and my brother, Emmett." He said pointing to each one of us.

"Cool, cool. So you all students at UOW too?"

"No, they're just helping me move in." Edward answered emotionlessly.

"Ok, cool." Seth replied shortly, probably noticing something was off.

We got all of Edward's things into the dorm with only a few trips. Emmett said we had time to help him unpack so we all crammed into Edward and Seth's dorm putting everything away.

While unpacking the last box I found the picture I gave Edward the Christmas before last and set it on his desk right next to his laptop. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I love you Bella."

My eyes suddenly felt moist and my lower lip started to quiver. "I love you too."

I had enough strength to hold it in, but I could tell my walls were starting to crumble.

We said our goodbyes to Seth, and Edward walked with us back to Emmett's Jeep.

"Be good little brother. I'm having Seth keep an eye on you." Emmett snickered and hugged Edward.

Rosalie gave a simple "I'll miss you," after her hug and got into the Jeep with Emmett giving Edward and I a moment alone.

I kept my gaze on the ground, studying my shoes because I knew the second I looked into those emerald eyes I would be a goner. Edward had other thoughts though, and he lifted my chin. The walls I had built up burst and a sob raked through my chest.

"I-I can't. I can-can't l-leave you-ou." I choked out as Edward held me tight.

"It will be okay. We can do this Bella." I couldn't tell if Edward was trying to assure me or himself.

"B-but not getting-ng to s-see you everyday-y....I ca-can't do it."

"It's going to be hard, but I know we'll be fine. We'll talk everyday on the phone and I'll visit on the weekends, it will all be okay." He said, softly stroking my cheek.

"I love y-you Edward-d. S-so much."

"Really?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Really, really." I sniffed.

"I'm sure I love you more." He said smugly.

"Doubt it." I laughed back.

He met my eyes again before leaning down and fusing our lips together. It was soft and sweet yet urgent at the same time. I made sure to memorize the way he kissed me and how his hair felt as I ran my fingers through it, his sweet breath and that familiar spark that always moved through me from his contact.

He pulled away all too soon and helped me into the monster Jeep, sneaking in one more quick kiss.

"I'll miss every part of you Isabella Marie Swan." He said as a few tears escaped.

"I'll miss you more Edward Anthony Cullen." I said as I wiped his tear stained cheeks.

"Take care of her for me, Emmett." Edward asked, clearing his throat.

"Of course." He replied seriously.

With that, he closed the door and stepped back. Emmett pulled out of the parking space and drove away.

I watched out the back window as Edward got smaller and smaller, and I was taken farther and farther away from him.

Rosalie moved in the back seat with me once we left Seattle. She held me as I cried silently and kept telling me everything thing would be okay. I knew it would, I just didn't know it was this hard to say goodbye.

We arrived in Spokane around five o'clock and helped Rosalie with her things. We met her roommate, Heidi, who was also stunningly beautiful. She was nice enough, and I knew her and Rose would get along.

I cried with Rose as I told her goodbye and then excused myself to the Jeep so her and Emmett could get in their last kiss.

Emmett re-entered the Jeep, red-eyed and we headed towards Pullman. On our way, we stopped for something to eat because you could probably hear Emmett's stomach growl from miles away. Of course, we stopped at Wendy's and ordered the usual chicken sandwich with fries and a frosty.

We couldn't stop laughing as everyone who walked by our table gave us disgusted looks and then the manager had to come and tell us to keep it down.

Feeling more chipper than we had the whole day, we continued our trek across Washington and finally arrived in Pullman around eight o'clock that night.

Jasper had already set his things up in his and Emmett's dorm, so we unloaded all of Emmett's boxes first and then moved on to mine.

I was in the building right next to the boys' so that eased my worries a little, being just a few seconds away. I opened the door and found a pale, blonde girl stoically sitting on her bed.

"Hello, I'm Jane." She greeted me, almost robotically.

"Bella." I smiled back.

She didn't say anything else and went back to staring at whatever she was before.

I gave Em and Jazz an uneasy look and proceeded to bring my stuff in. I only unpacked my bedding, because I was way too tired to get anything done tonight.

After saying goodnight to the guys I decided to explore my building a little. There were six floors; I was on the second, a basement that held a recreation room, and a lounge area with mustard colored chairs.

No one was around, so I fell back onto one of the ugly chairs and pulled out my phone. I looked at the time and realized I had lasted about seven hours without Edward so far.

I quickly dialed his number and it only took half a ring.

"Bella." he breathed out.

"Hey, how's college life?"

"Okay, Seth's pretty cool. I haven't really been out of my dorm building yet." He chuckled. "What's your roommate like?"

I sat silently for a second, trying to think of the right word, "Anti-social."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! Ask Emmett and Jasper. We walked into the room and she was just staring at nothing! She told me her name, I told her mine, and that was it."

"That's…kind of…odd."

"You think?" I laughed.

We talked for a couple hours about what we thought of the school so far, what we had to do tomorrow, and the occasional "I miss you."

I reluctantly hung up around 11:30 p.m. and trudged back up to my room. To be honest I was a little scared to sleep there tonight, maybe Jane would do stuff to me in my sleep...

I shivered, that's just creepy.

I walked back into the room and Jane was exactly where I left her two and a half hours ago.

I quickly grabbed my bag of clothes and toiletries I had packed in case I didn't get everything unpacked and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Sliding under the covers, I felt Jane's eyes on me so I turned and smiled at her and said a sleepy, "Goodnight."

"You should know I don't sleep." She said randomly after I was just about to doze off.

"Huh?"

"I don't sleep. Ever."

"Oh."

"Yes, so you won't mind if I watch you, seeing as I find it interesting that one can sleep for up to twelve hours at a time. Where as I can only seem to get to sleep for about an hour." She eyed me suspiciously.

_No way, nuh-uh. I am not staying here tonight. This is getting way too weird._

"Uh…well…uhm, actually I forgot that I promised my brothers I would um…help them unpack! Yes, unpack. And they like to unpack late at night, so if you'll excuse me I better go help them." I stumbled over a few of my boxes as I slipped on some shoes and rushed out the door.

I ran over to Emmett and Jasper's dorm and started banging on the door.

"You guys, open up! Let me in!"

Emmett flung the door open with an aggravated glare and his hair sticking every which way.

I tried to hold back my laugh as I lunged inside the room and shut the door, locking it behind me.

"Hello to you too Bella." Emmett said sarcastically.

"Jane is freaking crazy! You two have to let me stay here tonight. She asked me if I would let her watch me sleep! You can't make me go back there, I won't!" I said stomping my foot.

Jasper was watching me with wide eyes and after I finished he fell back on his bed laughing.

"She…she…what? Watch….you sleep?" he got out between laughs. Soon Emmett joined in.

"You guys, this isn't funny!" I whined.

After they composed themselves, Emmett went to the closet and pulled out some blankets and a pillow. "Of course you can crash here, Bells."

"Thanks." I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Jasper's bed was a bunk bed, so I climbed up top and laid out my blankets.

"Goodnight Bella." Both boys snickered together.

"Goodnight _boys_." I said mockingly.

**A/N: Sooooooooooooooooooo? Hit or Miss?**

**I am so excited to get going on this story!! :D  
There's lots of stuff that's gonna happen...!!**

**OK! We are going to stick with your favorite part since people did give me ideas for a new tradition but most people wanted to keep the fav parts.**

**Mine?**

**"I'm sure I love you more." He said smugly.  
****:) Who doesn't love Edward??**

**And how did everybody like Seth Clear?? His last name isn't Clear_water _because Leah is going to be in this story and I didn't want them related so its Seth Clear and Leah Waters :P  
There's going to be a whole bunch of new characters intorduced so be prepared!!**

**I think I'll make a banner like i did last time with the pictures of all the main and main-ish characters :)**

**Please Review!**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	3. Loony Roomie

**A/N: Hey! So I know this took a while to come out but I started it during Christmas break and then went out of town for a week and a half and then started back at school which is already soo stressful! I practically fell asleep in math and composition class today :P**

**But its here now! :)**

****FAQ****

**Is Jane a vampire?  
No, she is just weird. lmao Everyone in this story is human.**

**Do Edward and Bella break up?  
Now come on guys, you shoul dknow I'm not going to answer that :P But have I ever steered you wrong?? ;)**

**And you all very quickly got pissed off at Edward after reading the prologue haha  
All I can say is stay tuned...**

**** ****

**This is the third stop on the Emeleigh Express towards Sequelville! :P**

BPOV

"RISE AND SHINE _SISTER_!" Emmett boomed.

"Ughhhhhhhh! Why you must wake me up in the most obnoxious ways possible I will never know…" I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

"Time to get up. Your loony roomie has stopped by twice already wondering where you've been all night. She also made the comment that we look nothing alike, being siblings and all…" he laughed.

"Yeah well, I panicked and I needed some excuse to escape. So, meet the new addition to the Cullen family." I smiled, pointing to myself.

"Right on! " He said pumping his fist in the air.

I hopped down off the top bunk and noticed Jasper still slumbering away, "How come you let Jazz sleep?!"

"Because his psycho roommate didn't come banging on the door at six thirty this morning." He argued, "You must be a really heavy sleeper. I thought she was gonna come busting through with all the noise she made. Jasper thought it was some criminal so he opened the door weilding curtain rod in his hand so he could fight them off." Emmett chuckled, pointing to the curtain-less window.

"Well, I guess I better go face the crazy lady. If she eats me or something tell Edward, Rose, and Alice I'm sorry I never got a chance to say goodbye…" I cried dramatically.

"Will do." Emmett smiled before I shut the door.

Walking out of the building I received some funny looks. A few guys smirked and a couple girls rolled their eyes. It was only until I got back to my room that I realized what they must have thought.

My face reddened immediately. It most definitely looked like the walk of shame. I was leaving the boys dorm building in only my pajama shorts, flip-flops, and a tank top.

_…way to make a first impression Bella._

I took a deep breath before slowly opening my door and peeking in. Jane was in her usual spot on the bed.

"Bella. I wondered where you disappeared to." She greeted me, enunciating each word.

"Well we didn't finish unpacking until late so I just decided to spend the night in my brothers' room."

"Ah. I see."

"Yup." I replied, popping the 'p'.

We shared an awkward silence where she stared at me. Just plain stared.

Thankfully, my phone rang and I more than happily rushed over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Good morning." A silky voice answered.

"Morning." I swear my smile grew the size of Texas.

Jane looked at me quizzically, probably wondering who put the goofy grin on my face.

"How did you sleep?" Edward asked.

"You are nev-" I quickly stopped myself before going into how terrified I was to sleep in my own room. You see, Jane was still staring at me, while listening to my side of the conversation, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have appreciated Emmett's new nickname for her if I opened my big mouth. "Uhh…great!"

"Everything alright?" Edward asked, seeming a little worried.

"Oh yeah! Pshh…I have never been better." I lied.

"You sure about that? You seem a little…off."

"Who is it?" Jane whispered.

I covered the phone and whispered back, "My boyfriend. Edward."

She nodded and went back to her staring.

I pulled the phone back to my ear after I heard Edward frantically calling my name on the other line. "Bella? Bella… _Bella_. Bella! Isabella Swan!!"

"I'm here, I'm here. Just hold on one second." I assured him as I entered the hallway and shut the door behind me. "Okay, now I can talk."

"What is going on?!" Edward demanded.

"Calm down. I had to get away from Jane. She was staring at me and then you asked how I slept and I had to lie and you know how bad I am at lying Edward! And then-" He cut me off from my high speed jabbering.

"Whoa! Slow down. So you had to lie about how you slept because…?"

"Because my roommate is a freak! I couldn't stay there last night because she actually wanted to watch me sleep!"

"Nooo!" Edward asked in disbelief.

"Yes! She's some kind of weird insomniac that can only sleep for like an hour at a time and apparently found it fascinating that I could sleep for so long!"

"That's really creepy. She actually wanted to just sit there and watch you sleep?"

I chuckled at his question, "And you're one to judge Edward? How many times have I woken up to see you staring at me?"

"That's different." He said quickly.

"How? At least she asked for my permission first!" I joked.

"Still not the same. I don't stare, I…gaze."

"Gaze?" I snorted.

"Yes. I gaze at you." He confirmed.

"Well, anyways…I had to get out of there so I told her Emmett and Jasper were my brothers and I needed to help them with something. So…we're related now Edward! Isn't that great?!" I gushed.

"That isn't exactly how I pictured you would get my last name Bella…" he grumbled.

"Oh really? Then how did you picture it?" I asked coyly.

"Something along the lines of you in a dress, preferably white, and me, in a tux, waiting at the end of a walkway. Oh and there was a priest there too, along with all of our closest friends and family."

"Ah. I see-" I was taken out of my day dream of mine and Edward's wedding by a tap on my shoulder.

"Hi. I'm Kate, and this is my sister Irina." A petite girl introduced herself and her almost identical sister.

"One second Edward…" I mumbled into the phone before offering a handshake. "Isabella, but I go by Bella."

Both girls had dirty blonde, almost light brown hair with soft waves. They weren't as pale as me, but more of an olive tone to their skin. At first glance, they almost looked like the exact same person, but after comparing them I noticed some differences like the shape of their lips, and definition of cheekbones, minor details, but still enough to tell the two girls apart.

They must have noticed me looking back and forth between both of them and at the same time told me, "We're twins."

"Oh, I see you have the whole 'saying the same thing at the same time' bit down." I joked.

"Yeah, but don't let it fool you. We're fraternal." One of them laughed.

"So who is who?"

"Well, I'm Kate." The one with the narrower nose and thinner lips informed me.

"And I'm Irina." The other with longer hair finished.

"Anyways..." they started together again, "We heard you talking about your roommate. Is it that Jane girl?" Irina asked.

"Yes…unfortunately." I sighed.

"How do you do it?! Rina and I met her at orientation and she seemed a little…disturbed. You know she asked me if she could watch me eat?"

"_Eat_?!" I asked in disbelief. They just nodded.

"Feel free to hide out in our room anytime. We live right across from you." Kate offered.

"I'm sure I will be taking you up on your offer soon." I laughed, but completely serious.

Both girls waved goodbye and flipped their hair over a shoulder before walking down the hall.

_Yup, definitely twins…_

"Edward? Are you still there?"

"I'm always here." He said sweetly.

_BEEP!_

I pulled the phone away from my ear once more and saw Alice was calling me. "Can I call you back? Alice is on the other line and we both know she'll keep trying until I answer." I pointed out.

"Fine…" Edward grumbled.

"I love you!"

"Love you too Bella."

I quickly clicked off and on to Alice.

"What is so important over there that none of you will answer my calls?!" Alice yelled at me.

"Hey Alice, it was sweet of you to call." I said innocently, ignoring her rant.

"You'd think that among the three of you at least one person would answer their phone, but _nooo_!" she continued.

"I'm doing great, how nice of you to ask." I replied sarcastically.

"Bella!"

"Alice!"

"Why is no one answering their phone?!"

"Well for the record, I _did_ answer. And Emmett and Jasper are probably sleeping, at least Jazz was before I left and I'm pretty sure Emmett planned on going back to bed."

"Its almost noon! How much beauty rest do those boys need? They're already pretty!" she huffed.

"Maybe that's why they're so 'pretty.'" I countered.

"Get your butt over there now, Swan. I'll give them their wake up call." Alice mumbled, seeming a little aggravated.

I shuffled over to the boys' dorm again, all the while filling Alice in on my roommate situation. She of course, thought it was hilarious.

I quietly entered their room and found both Emmett and Jazz knocked out. Emmett was snoring loudly and Jasper was drooling on his pillow.

_Lovely…_

"Okay, what do you want me to do Alice?" I whispered.

"Put me on speaker phone and then lay the phone by Jasper's ear."

I did as I was told, pulled up a desk chair, sat down, and waited for the show to begin.

"Jazzy…Jazzyyy…" she started off quietly.

I saw a smile spread across Jasper's face, probably from the sound of Alice's voice.

"JASPER KYLE CULLEN! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF YOU SINCE TEN A.M.!" she started hollering suddenly.

I had set the phone on top of Jasper's ear, so when he got startled by the loud, high-pitched voice, my phone went flying to the other side of the room, smacking Emmett right in between his eyes.

"Ahhh! My face!" Emmett howled.

"Your face?! My ear!" Jasper snapped back.

Neither of them had realized I was in the room, let alone a still annoyed Alice on the phone, which was now lying on the floor.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from cracking up as Emmett and Jasper recovered from the rude awakening and heard a shrill voice coming from below.

"Alice?" Jasper called, looking around the room like she was actually here.

"Yes?!" she answered him sharply.

Emmett picked up the phone and chucked it at Jasper. "Stupid midget friend." He mumbled before pulling the covers over his head.

"Oh I don't think so!" I said marching over to Emmett, making my presence known. "Payback's a bitch Emmett. This is for all those times you woke me up in amazingly annoying ways!" I quickly grabbed the comforter and stripped it from the bed leaving the big guy to curl into a ball and hug his arms around his legs.

Jasper was facing the wrath Alice from somewhere behind me, so I knew he would be taken care of. Emmett didn't seem too phased by the removal of his blankets, so I wasn't satisfied yet. I grabbed the edges of his mattress and started pulling. Managing to only move it about two centimeters, I decided to call in reinforcements. "Jasper, I need help!"

Emmett was shaking slightly in his balled up form, laughing at my attempts to get him out of the bed.

"Hold on Alice, Bella needs assistance with the bear." He snickered before putting Alice on speakerphone again so she could hear what was going on and joining me.

We each grabbed an end of the mattress and tugged it off the wooden frame, tossing it onto the ground, with Emmett still occupying it. He had wrapped his ginormous hands around the corners of the mattress and held on for dear life so he wouldn't get thrown off. That was my plan originally, to throw him off the mattress, so I had to bring out plan B.

"DOG PILE!!" I cheered and flung myself onto Emmett's back.

He started laughing, "Bella, you don't weigh enough for that to hurt me."

"But I do…" I heard Jasper say quietly from above us.

"Noooooo!" I roared, but I was too slow to get up. Jasper jumped in the air, arms spread out like he was flying, and landed on top of me. It felt like all the air in my lungs was forced out of me as I lay squished in between Em and Jazz.

"Can't…breath…" I wheezed out.

"Oh, sorry about that." Jasper chuckled and maneuvered around so he wasn't crushing my lungs.

The three of us laid there, Jasper on top of me, on top of Emmett. Alice broke the silence with a giggle, "What just happened?"

"We made a Bella sandwich!" Emmett told her proudly.

-:-:-

"Get over there and do something!" Rose growled.

"Why me?!"

"Because that's your job as my best friend! When I am not present, you must act as the woman repeller." She informed me like I was supposed to have already known.

"But there is no one to repel! He's just paying for his stuff."

"Don't lie to me Isabella! I heard Jasper!" I instantly swung my fist around and pounded it once into Jasper's chest.

"Ow!"

We were in the school's bookstore because Emmett needed pencils. Why he didn't just accept my offer to let him have a pack of my pencils, I'll never know. So here we were, waiting on Emmett to finish up with his purchase when Rosalie called. He had managed to find a few more items, mostly candy, and it was taking some time to ring up all his things.

I was casually telling Rose about my horrendous first night when Jasper opened his big mouth.

"Did you just see her? That cashier girl totally just hit on him." He snorted out a laugh.

Of course Rosalie heard, which is why Jasper earned the jab to his chest.

Yes, the girl may have been flirting with Emmett, but he was totally oblivious; his main focus being on the candy. That was why I felt no need to go 'repel' her, she didn't seem like a threat.

"Bella, if you don't go over there right now I swear I will call Jane and invite her to come back to Forks over winter break with you!"

"Okay, sheesh! I'm going, no need to threaten me…"

I handed the phone to Jasper so he could narrorate what was going on while I did my job.

"Your total comes to twelve dollars and eighteen cents." The checker girl told Emmett while batting her eyelashes.

I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for what I was about to do.

_I am the most amazing friend Rosalie has ever had…_

"Emmie? Are you ready to go?" I asked in a sugary sweet voice while wrapping an arm around his waist.

I looked over at the girl and hoped I wasn't blushing too much that it gave me away. This was so embarrassing.

"Uh…Bells?" Emmett fidgeted awkwardly.

I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes, hopefully sending the message that I was forced to do this. "Come on…_honey_, your brother is waiting on us." I said in the sugarcoated voice to hide my irritation.

"Of course…_sweetie_." Emmett smirked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

I could feel the girl's eyes burning a hole in the back of my head as we exited to bookstore.

"Edward not enough for ya? Wanted a go at the Em-Man?" Emmett asked, still with a huge smirk.

Jasper strolled casually out of the building talking animatedly to Rose. "…yeah! Once she called him 'honey' that girl's face started boiling, I'm surprised her flesh didn't melt off." He snorted.

I snatched the phone back, "You so owe me. Big time." I growled to Rose before tossing it over to Emmett.

Not wanting to stay and chat, listening to all three of them make fun of me, I grabbed Jasper's arm and pulled him towards the café.

"You are going to buy me a smoothie because I deserve one after that." I ordered.

"My, my Bella. You sure are making your way around the family. First Edward, then Emmett, now you're forcing me to go on a 'smoothie date' with you?" He teased, "Edward won't be too happy when he hears his girlfriend left him…especially for his brothers."

"Oh, shut up and get your money out." I told him as we got in line.

-:-:-

"Hey!"

"So should I be worried?" Edward asked as soon as I answered the phone.

"About what?"

"Don't lie to me Bella. I heard about your little fling with Emmett in the bookstore!" Edward tried acting serious, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm going to kill those guys…" I muttered.

"No, I don't think you would, seeing that you clearly have a thing for both of them. Yeah that's right, I know about your date with Jasper too!"

"This is not funny Edward." I warned.

"Just rip out my heart and stomp all over it! Of course this isn't funny, you're dumping me for my older brothers!" he kept playing his little game.

"I'm hanging up now." I said flatly.

"Right, you probably want to spend time with…_them_. I must say this has complicated things a little…oh well, at least I still have Alice and Rosalie."

"Goodbye Edward."

-:-:-

"Hi Alice. What's up?"

"How could you do this to me? I mean how long have we been best friends?!" she cried.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"You stole my Jazzy!" she wailed, practically laughing now.

"I hate you."

"Me?! What did I do, except for getting stabbed in the back by someone who is pretty much my sister?!"

"I hate you all."

"Well now that's not true." She giggled.

"Yes it is." I said seriously.

"But I thought you loved Jazz?"

_End Call_.

-:-:-

Rosalie's name flashed across the screen and I knew what was coming.

"Hello?"

"Thank you!!" she squealed.

That wasn't what I was expecting… "Huh?"

"Well now that you admitted your real feelings for Emmett, Edward and I can finally get together!" she said excitedly.

"Great." I said sarcastically.

"Yeah I know! Can I ask a favor? I mean you can totally say no, it might be weird for you…"

"What is it?" I sighed.

"Will you be my maid of honor? I mean it is totally understandable if you don't want to, considering who the groom is…" she snickered.

"No." I said before hanging up.

-:-:-

I had been spending a lot of time in Kate and Irina's room since I had the freakiest roommate ever and I was avoiding my so-called 'friends' and their incessant teasing.

We were talking about all our classes that started in two days when there was a knock at the door.

Kate flitted to the door and opened it quickly. Standing there was a good-looking guy with dark chocolate, wavy hair. Irina leaned over and informed me he was Kate's long-term boyfriend, Garrett, and he had just arrived today.

The lovebirds said a rushed goodbye and exited the room. It made me miss Edward even more because I hadn't been answering his calls for a day and a half since the 'Let's tease Bella Fest' began.

"How long have they been dating?" I asked Irina as I pushed my emotions aside.

"They met last summer while we were on vacation, so they've been dating a year and a couple months."

"They're cute together."

"Yeah, Garrett's a fun guy too. He doesn't mind Kate and I practically being attached at the hip either, so he's got my seal of approval." She joked.

"So…have you seen anyone you like?" I asked nudging her arm.

She started studying her toenails, so I knew there had to be someone, "Who is it?" I was surprised at how much I missed girl talk with Alice and Rosalie like this.

"Well I don't know his name, but I think he's in my business class because he was there talking to the professor during orientation."

"Have you seen him since then?"

"Yeah, he works at the school bookstore. Have you been there?"

"Yeah…I have." I grimaced, remembering my experience there.

"And he's on the basketball team!" she gushed.

"Really? Because my…broth- friend, Emmett is on the team too. I can have him dig a little." I smirked.

"Well actually that doesn't sound like such a bad idea…but I only want to know his name, age, and if he smokes. I don't date smokers." She said, scrunching her nose.

"Alright. I can do that." I laughed.

-:-:-

_555-3620…who is that?_

A random number popped up on my phone and I decided to answer it, thinking it could be one of the girls I had met in the dorm recently.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" It was a guy's voice, but not very deep.

"Yes…?"

"I got her." His muffled voice came through the speaker.

"Who is this?" I demanded.

"Okay, if I tell you, you can't hang up. Promise?"

"Alright…I promise."

"Its Seth, Edward's roommate."

"Oh. Hi."

"Hi." He chuckled, "Listen, I got Edward here with me and he asked me to call you so he could talk to you because apparently you haven't been answering his calls."

"Yeah, he's called a lot. I'm just letting him sweat it out a little. You know make him think he's actually in trouble." I laughed.

"I see." He laughed with me.

"What is she saying?" I heard Edward whispering in the background. I smiled, picturing the worried look on his face when he thinks I'm mad at him.

"She said you called a lot." Seth answered him, continuing to laugh.

"What does that mean?" Edward groaned.

"Hold on, I'll check….So, Bella what do you say to calling Edward? I have to tell you though, he's a pretty big baby when you guys don't talk, so please say yes."

I heard a slap followed by Seth yelping, "Ow! Dude, that was my arm."

"I know." Edward said happily.

"You tell Edward that if he wants to talk to me then he can call me. And seriously are you two in junior high? Having your friend call your girlfriend, and asking them if they're mad is pretty lame." I laughed.

"It was Edward's idea." Seth defended himself, followed by another slap and yelp.

"Tell Edward I could hear everything you guys were whispering _and_ the slapping. You have my permission to hit him back Seth." I smirked.

Cue another slap and yelp, only this time the roles were reversed. "Thanks Bella."

"Anytime."

"Well Edward is gesturing for me to get off the phone so he can call you. See ya."

"Bye."

I could hear a series of kicks, slaps, and punches being thrown around before the line went dead.

Two minutes and fifty four seconds later my phone rang again.

"Hello?" I asked sweetly.

"Hello Bella." Edward greeted me formally.

"Sooo…" I said slowly, waiting for Edward to start the conversation.

"Soo…I missed you." He breathed out.

_That boys knows exactly how to make me melt…its not fair._

"I missed you too." I admitted sheepishly, being the one who refused to answer the phone.

"I'm sorry about before…you know with Emmett and Jasper…" he apologized.

"No its okay. I know everybody was just teasing. It just got a little annoying when you all started in on me…at the same time." I felt bad that it actually bugged me so much, but I couldn't help it. They were all questioning how I felt about Edward and this had all started because Rosalie asked me to do her a favor. I did it wanting to be a good friend, and it just didn't seem fair that now I was getting picked on because of it, especially by Rose who pulled the 'that's what best friends do' card.

"I'm still sorry." He said quietly.

"I'm sorry too, for not answering…"

"Don't apologize Bella. If I was you I probably wouldn't have answered my calls either."

"Edward…" I sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"_You_ quit apologizing!" I laughed, "I love you Edward, and not even one of your brothers would be able to change that."

"I love you Bella."

"I hate this Edward. I miss seeing your face and hearing your voice next to me and kissing your lips and holding you and all of it. I miss you."

"Soon. I'll see _your_ face, hear _your_ voice, kiss _your_ lips, and hold _you_ soon. I promise."

**A/N: Hit or Miss?**

**Okay so we met three more people! :)  
****This was kind of a filler chapter...just some fun stuff before we get into the actual stpry with _all_ the characters.**

**I think its going to be BPOV for next chapter and then we'll get into everyone else thats at different colleges...**

**Favorite?**

**"RISE AND SHINE _SISTER_!" Emmett boomed.  
...I have no idea why but I just really like that line :P**

**Please Review!**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	4. Other J!

**A/N: Miss me? :)**

BPOV

I had survived my first day of classes and was headed back to my building. All in all, they hadn't been too bad. I had gotten a syllabus in each for how the semester would go and was pretty stoked to officially start my freshman year of college.

But things were still a little odd with my friends, minus Edward. I had been avoiding Emmett and Jasper since the day at the bookstore. For good reason too, because I accidentally ran into them in the cafeteria over the lunch hour and when I gave them a half-hearted wave they blew me kisses back.

Jerks.

Apparently the four of them, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice, still found the whole thing hilarious. According to Edward, anyway, because I wasn't on speaking terms with them.

I had been sleeping at Kate and Irina's every night since Jane was still being a creeper. I would have to do something about my living arrangements soon…

Just as I reached a hand out to grab the door handle to the girls' dorm someone came up behind me and snatched me up in their arms while their accomplice covered my eyes.

"Put me down!" I yelled.

"No can do sister. I'm on a mission." Emmett said happily.

"Well can you at least call off the blinders?" I huffed.

"Nope. That's part of the plan." Jasper said.

"Plan? Where are you two butt munchers taking me?!" I demanded.

"Butt munchers? Very creative Bella." Jasper chuckled.

I rolled my eyes but they couldn't tell, Jasper's hands covering my eyes and all.

"Sorry we had to take such drastic measures, but you weren't talking to us so this was the only option." Emmett explained.

"You are _not_ forgiven."

"Yet." Jasper added.

I just pursed my lips and folded my arms across my chest, hopefully showing them I wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

After a few more minutes I felt Emmett maneuver me around so he could open a door. We entered an elevator and I would guess went up two floors.

There were a few jingles, probably from a set of keys, and then another door was opened.

"You know, people can go to jail for kidnapping." I pointed out.

"Good thing you're not a kid then huh?" Jasper teased.

"Ha. Ha." I replied dryly.

I was set on my feet and felt Jasper move behind me, his hands still on my face, and felt Emmett stand in front of me.

"Okay, be prepared to love Jazz and myself more than you already do." Emmett said excitedly.

"Can you just tell me what's going on?!" I asked aggravated.

"Actually, we can show you." Then Jasper gave me my vision back.

I looked around and found myself in the middle of an empty room. The walls were a charcoal gray color and under my feet were pretty worn out hardwood floors. Directly behind me was a decent kitchen and there was a small hallway to my left with four more doors.

"I don't get it…" I said confused, "What is this place?"

"It is a cross between our way of saving you from Jane and pleasing Edward, who was worried about you living with that loony. Either way you look at it though, its our…" Jasper paused for dramatic effect. "NEW APARTMENT!" he and Emmett cheered together.

"_What_?!" I squealed and lunged for both of them, wrapping my arms around their necks for a three-way hug.

"So I'm guessing you like it?" Emmett snickered.

"Uh…yeah! When can we move in?" I asked giddily.

"Well, now if you don't have anyth-"

"What are we waiting for then?!" I grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them back out the door.

We arrived at my dorm and I literally skipped through the halls and into my room where Insane Jane, as I had lovingly named her, was sitting on her bed looking bored.

Emmett and Jasper awkwardly hovered in the doorway behind me.

"Why are you _skipping_?" She asked me, acting like the very thought of it was appalling.

"Oh. No special reason." I beamed at her.

She just grunted in recognition and went back to…whatever it is she does.

I hesitated telling her, a little afraid that she might lash out about me leaving her or something psycho like that. "Hey…so, um…I have some news."

"Really?" she asked shortly.

"Yes. My brothers and I are moving into an apartment so you get the dorm all to yourself." I motioned over to Em and Jazz who looked kind of scared.

"Good. No offence Isabella, but you aren't the best roommate." she said bluntly.

"Excuse me?" _I'm not a good roommate? I'm not the one who's a freak!_

"Don't get me wrong, you're a decent person...but sort of weird."

I just stood there gaping at her while the boys tried to muffle their laughter.

-:-:-

Most of my things were still in boxes, so we were able to transfer it all quickly and with only two trips.

I couldn't help but do a little happy dance at my realization of never having to see Insane Jane again.

In the middle of my 'raisin' the roof,' Emmett and Jasper entered and froze mid-step as soon as they saw me.

"Living with a chick is going to be…interesting." Emmett concluded. Jasper nodded in agreement.

I ignored them, still on my 'moving into an apartment' high, "So which one is my room?"

"Whichever you want, they're all the same." Jasper informed me.

"How did you guys score a place with three bedrooms anyway?"

"One of my basketball buddies had this place last year and reserved it for this school year, but found an off-campus apartment he liked better. I was telling him about your situation and he just offered it to us." Emmett told me, "Usually only upperclassmen get to live in this building."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I thank god for Jane." I laughed.

-:-:-

I chose the bedroom that was beside the bathroom and across from the other two rooms. It felt a little more private that I didn't have to share a wall with one of the boys and knowing them they would probably bang on it all the time just to bug me.

It was already furnished with a full size bed, a desk, and a chest of drawers. I happily started unpacking all my things and getting settled into my very own room.

After fixing everything the way I wanted, I made my way out to the living room where Jasper and Emmett had thrown a black sheet over the ugly couch that was left here and hooking up the TV.

_Of course that would be a guy's first priority…_

I decorated the rest of the room, my excitement of moving in not wearing off yet. I had a dark blue rug I brought for my dorm, but it now lay in front of the couch and the boy's over sized green beanbags. I also had some white floor pillows that I thought looked comfortable and added them to the mix of seats around the room.

Then I moved to the bathroom. I had confiscated Jasper and Emmett's toothbrushes so I could put them in a cup by the sink.

_Bathroom decorating is done!_

I moved to the kitchen next and saw that it was completely bare..

"We need to go buy some stuff." I told Em and Jazz who just grunted back as they watched a football game.

"Let me rephrase that. There's no food."

Emmett's head whipped around and had horror in his eyes. "What are we going to do?!"

"Um, I was thinking maybe we should go to the grocery store." I said in a 'duh' tone.

"That's a good idea." He said thoughtfully.

"Well then, to the store!" Jasper declared.

-:-:-

Grocery shopping with guys is…difficult.

Every five seconds, "Ooh! Can we get this Bella?" or, "What's with all the healthy crap? Ever heard of chips and dip?" and the famous, "Are we almost done?"

I replied with, "Fine." "Its called fruit and vegetables, Emmett." and, "Shut up Jasper." Respectively.

Since it was Walmart, we came out with crap we didn't even need in the first place. Of course we had groceries, and kitchen things we needed like a set of plates, bowls, and cups, forks, knives, spoons, napkins, paper plates, a toaster, measuring cups, cleaning supplies, a couple pots and pans, an oven mitt and Ziploc bags. But Emmett talked me into one of those huge tubs of animal crackers and a water purifier.

"Why do we need that? All water tastes the same Emmett."

"No it doesn't! Do you know how much bacteria is in tap water?!"

"Do you?" I countered.

"Well, no. But look! It has those little things that flavor your water!"

Then Jasper found a waffle maker that printed stars on the waffles and a 'Kiss The Cook, But Don't Touch The Buns!' apron.

"Jasper, that's just dumb. No one wants to kiss you anyway."

"Alice does."

"She's not here."

"Well when she visits I'll cook for her and then she can kiss me. I'll probably even let her touch my buns too." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

We finally made it out of there with about a half a million things and piled them in the back of the Jeep.

Once we got back to the apartment and unloaded everything Emmett insisted on having waffles for supper. He and Jazz fought over who got to make them for fifteen minutes because they wanted to wear the apron. Emmett won when he succesfully stood there with Jasper in a head lock, while nugg-ing him. Then Emmett told us we had to have strawberry flavored, _purified_ water with our waffles so he could try out his new gadget.

As he got to cooking I called Edward.

"Hey you." He answered.

"Hey! You would not believe the day I had." I laughed.

I told him everything from when Jane insulted me about being a bad roommate to the animal crackers.

"You know, you having an apartment now benefits me as well."

"Really, how?"

"Well, now when I come to visit you'll have your own, _private_ room." He said knowingly.

"That was your reasoning behind all of this wasn't it?"

"Maybe." He said in a way that actually meant yes.

Then Emmett came and flopped down on the couch beside me. "So…Bells. You've read my apron right?"

"Yeah…"

"So don't you want to smack a wet one on the Em-Man?" he grinned widely.

"I'm going to go with no."

"Is it because Eddie's on the phone? You can just call him back after we're done." He said loudly on purpose so Edward could hear.

"What is he talking about Bella?" Edward asked.

"Remember that apron Jasper got? Well, your brother is wearing it right now." I explained.

"Put me on speaker, Bella."

I switched the speakerphone on and held it in between Emmett and myself.

"What's up Eduardo?!" Emmett boomed.

"You are not allowed to kiss _my_ Bella." he warned.

"What do you expect me to do? Rosie's two hours away and Jasper's my brother! Bella just happens to be the closest female to my lips. And you are too far away to do anything about it." he said smugly.

"But don't you think it might be a little gross kissing your sister?"

"Nahh. She was adopted into the family, that doesn't count. We're not blood related." He turned to me, "Whaddya say Bells?"

"What kind of kiss?" I asked, considering just getting it over with. He was like Alice in the way that he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

Emmett muted the phone quick so Edward couldn't hear, "Just a cheeker. All I wanna do is mess with Eddie."

"Alright." I sighed.

He unmuted the phone and called for Jasper, " Hey Jazz, go get the camera!"

"Bella, you're actually going to do it?!" Edward asked in disbelief.

I smiled. This was kind of fun, messing with him.

"You ready Bella? Sorry Ed, but after your girlfriend kisses me she'll probably dump you. I just wanted to apologize in advance. No girl can get enough Emmett." He said smugly.

I rolled my eyes as Jasper positioned himself in front of us for the perfect shot.

Emmett jutted his cheek towards me and pointed at it. I leaned in and made an exaggerated 'muah!' sound. Edward was groaning on the other line and Jasper was laughing as he looked at the picture he just took.

"You were right, she is a good kisser." Emmett said into the phone while he winked at me.

I took him off speakerphone and gasped, "Edward! You tell them about how I kiss?!" my face getting redder by the second.

"Oh yeah." He said casually.

"Why?!"

"Why not?" he chuckled.

-:-:-

"Waffles are ready!" Emmett yelled to Jazz and me over his shoulder.

We each grabbed a plate and piled the star waffles on them before drowning them in syrup. Then, each grabbed a glass and filled it with strawberry flavored water and put a handful of animal crackers on the plate.

We sat around the living room, Emmett taking up the whole couch and me and Jasper on the beanbags.

"I propose a toast to an awesome school year in our new apartment!" Emmett said rasing his cup.

Jasper and I raised our glasses too and cheered.

"And to the weirdest supper I have ever had in my life!" I added.

There was a rerun of "Lost" playing on the TV that none of us were really watching when Jasper asked a question.

"What are the arrangements for when we have our significant others visit?"

"I didn't think we would need arrangements…we have our own rooms." I said.

"True, but I don't wanna hear Eddie gettin' freaky across the hall from me." Emmett scrunched his face.

I blushed, "Edward and I don't get _freaky_." I scoffed.

"Sure, sure."

While my face was still cooling off, the boys discussed having ties on the door and a secret code for when they needed the other two to leave.

"You guys, how about we all just decide when the time comes." I concluded once they started arguing about what color of each tie meant what.

"Fine." They grumbled and faced away from each other.

"So when are you guys going to see Alice and Rose next?" I asked carefully. We hadn't really discussed the absence of the other half of our group.

"I don't know. Alice seems pretty swamped with school already." Jasper shrugged sadly.

"And Rosie has sort of a 'field trip' coming up where they're going to LA for a week and a half." Emmett sighed.

I just nodded my head. It was a little weird not knowing these things about my best friends. We used to know everything going on in each other's lives. I decided to end my stubborn avoidance of their phone calls and shuffled to my room.

Dialing my phone, I decided to try Rose first since Jasper had said Alice was pretty busy these days.

"Hey Bells." She answered softly.

"Hey."

"Listen, I'm sorry for-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. I probably overreacted about the whole thing anyway. I know you guys were just giving me a hard time." I explained.

"Yeah, but I was the one who basically said you were a bad friend if you didn't step in between that girl and Emmett. Which is totally not true!"

"I know. I probably would have reacted the same if I were in your position. Its really okay Rose." I said encouragingly.

"Okay good, because I missed you!" she said exasperatedly.

"Same here. The guys were talking about how things are going for you and Alice at college and when I didn't know about half the stuff they were talking about I knew I needed to call you."

"I called Edward just to see if you were okay." She admitted sheepishly.

"What did he tell you?"

"That you were ignoring Em and Jazz too, which made me feel a little better." She chuckled, "And that you had made some new girl friends, which made me a little jealous."

"Don't worry Rose, you and Alice will always be my number one girls."

We talked for a while after that. She told me about her classes and teachers, and a swing dancing class she and Heidi were taking for fun.

She told me all about her new friends, Heidi and Gianna, who were her two roommates. They were given basically what looked like studio apartments that each had a large bathroom where three bedrooms met. I was pretty envious of the students at Meyer Drama after my dorm arrangements.

Then there was Aro and Paul, both supposedly hilarious guys that lived a floor above them. Aro was British and 'so smooth he could probably even charm the pants off of Edward!' as Rose had put it. Apparently there was a little thing going on between him and Heidi. Rosalie and Gianna had made a bet of how long it would take them to finally admit their feelings for one another. After seeing Edward and I, Rose gave it a month and a half to two months while Gianna bet three weeks.

Paul was Rosalie's best friend over there. She said when Emmett heard Rose was spending most of her free time with a guy he got a little possessive and called Gianna and Heidi so they could spy on the two of them. Emmett's worries were put at rest when Paul informed him he was gay after Emmett had chewed him out for messing around with his girl over the phone.

I said goodbye after telling her of my college moments so far and immediately dialed Alice's number hoping she would answer.

"Bella! !!" she squealed.

"Oh I can tell." I giggled.

Not wanting to have any unknown information between us, I instantly started grilling her about things over at Central Washington University, "What is your roommate like? Any new friends? Made any enemies yet? Jasper said you already had a lot of work piled up. Is it hard?"

"Whoa! You sound like me Bells!" she laughed, "My roommate is nice, she's really quiet and has her own friends so we don't really hang out. I did make some friends. There's Leah who is in my sketching class and is one of the toughest girls I have ever met, Carmen and Elezar who got married over the summer and are soo cute together! I met them during lunch one day when I saw Carmen's ring; the thing is like the size of an iceberg! And then Embry who is in my sewing class; he reminds me a lot of Jazz, really sweet and sensitive. One day we're going to design a line of ball gowns together!"

She took a breath and started again, "No enemies, thankfully. But there is this one girl that lives across from me that always complains about how loud and squeaky my voice is. Man, what a bitch that girl is. And yes, I do have a lot of work and it is challenging, but its so much fun and I love it! Did I cover everything?" she laughed again.

"Yup. I think that was all of it."

-:-:-

I woke up the next morning in my own bed (yay!) and feeling better than I had since we left Forks. I had an amazing boyfriend, the best friends a girl could have, and living in an apartment with my two older 'brothers'.

I padded to the kitchen and heated up the left over waffles from last night. Emmett emerged from his bedroom seconds after the aroma of food filled the place.

"Mornin' sister." He mumbled before falling to the couch.

"Good morning brother." I giggled as he snuggled into the cushions and started snoring.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

I jumped at the noise coming from the other side of our door and Emmett perked his head up.

"What the…?" he flung the door open and revealed two decent-sized guys. Not as big as Emmett, but they could definitely hold their own in a fight.

"E!!" They boomed.

"J and J!!" he yelled back.

Emmett turned his body toward Jasper's room and hollered for him, "Other J!! J and J are here!!"

Jasper's door opened and he made a b line for the three guys. Once 'Other J' had joined them they all participated in a group hug.

_Manly…_

I cleared my throat and all four heads spun around to face me.

"Is that A or R?" one of the J's asked.

"Neither. That's our youngest brother's girlfriend B. She goes here now." Jasper told them.

"What's with the first initials?" I asked utterly confused as to why they couldn't just use our real names.

"Because its cool." The J that didn't ask who I was said.

"So what J is who?" I pointed to the two boys crowding the threshold to our apartment.

"This J is Jacob." Emmett pointed to the taller one, who was also the one to explain their weird nicknames, "And this J is Jared." He said pointing to the one who asked who I was.

_Wait a minute…Jared? Irinia! He knows Emmett, maybe he's on the team. Maybe this is the guy she was telling me about…_

"And that's Bella. But I don't know whether we should call her 'I' or'B', because her name is _Isa_bella, but she goes by Bella." Emmett said scratching his head like he was trying to figure out the meaning of life itself.

"We should vote!" Jared finally said after they all sat there thinking about it for a while. "All in favor of I?"

Jacob was the only one to shoot his hand up. "What? 'I' is a unique first initial. What if we meet other B's? Then we'll end up having another J problem!" he defended.

"This is making my head hurt." I sighed as I rubbed my temples.

"You'll get used to it. Well…maybe you won't but you have to at some point because we're going to call you B from now on." Jasper chuckled.

"Seriously?"

"Eh, probably only when we're with these guys." He said, bumping fists with Jacob and Jared.

"Waffles!!" Jacob and Jared cheered, totally forgetting about the conversation we were in the middle of as they grabbed a plate and started helping themselves.

_Are you kidding me? Jasper and Emmett are bad enough, now you're adding two more?_ I groaned inwardly, cursing no one in particular.

All four of them crowded around the living room and turned on ESPN after getting their breakfast. I quietly fixed my own plate and snuck back into my room, I had a very important call to make.

"Hello?"

"Irina, its Bella. I have someone in my living room right now that you would be very pleased with…" I sang.

"Who?"

"Just guess. It starts with a J and rhymes with Zared."

"Nooooooo!" she gasped.

"Oh yes." I smirked.

**A/N: Okay, I think we've almost met everyone in the story except for Edward's new friends.**

**Next Chapter: Edward POV! :)**

**Favorite?**

**The whole first initials part. It was a little confusing to write with the three J's but I thought it was funny :P**

**Please Review!**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	5. Not Fair

**A/N: All I can say is I'm sorry :) ...and life is really kicking my ass right now.  
I'll try and get next chapter out sooner than it took me for this one.**

**Are you ready for some Edward? I know I am...**

EPOV :)

I parked my car in front of the dorms and sat there a minute before getting out. I could still faintly smell Bella's shampoo and perfume from the passenger seat. Strawberries and freesias. I laughed at myself remembering the first night I was here.

_Flashback_

_I didn't take my eyes off the Jeep until it turned the corner._

_Bella was gone. Going somewhere five hours away. Too far._

_I wiped the single tear away as it streamed down my face, but continued to stare in the direction Bella just left from, hoping the Jeep would come barreling back down the street._

_Nothing._

_Accepting the fact that Bella wouldn't be returning anytime soon, I turned to walk back inside, but noticed something in the back seat of my car. I opened the door and Bella's scent washed over me. The blue article of clothing was her Forks' basketball sweatshirt. Even though it was too small, I quickly slipped it over my head and closed my eyes. If I concentrated hard enough, I could imagine her sitting beside me. _

_So that's what I did for about an hour. Just sat in my car, imagining Bella was in there with me. I looked ridiculous. The sleeves stopped just above my wrists and I had the collar draped over my nose as I breathed in her sweet smell._

_Creepy? Possibly, but I didn't care at that moment._

_I trudged back up to my room, still wrapped up in the sweatshirt. Seth was messing around on his laptop and glanced up when I came in. "You okay man?"_

"_I will be. I just…you know, miss her." I sighed._

"_Ohh. Bella, right?" I nodded my head in response._

"_She seems pretty cool." He said approvingly._

"_Yeah, she's the best…" I smiled just thinking about her._

_We spent the rest of the night talking about Bella and how Seth wanted to find something like we had someday. We probably sounded like a couple of girls._

_End Flashback._

I reluctantly exited the car and went to my dorm.

Seth wasn't there, so I turned on some music as loud as it could go without disturbing the whole floor. I shuffled to my bed and laid down. Bella's sweatshirt had been permanently placed by my pillow so I buried my nose in it, trying to find some comfort in the fading smell.

_I would have to bring more of her things back with me when I visit…_

That brought on a whole new wave of thoughts. I needed to see her soon, or else I might actually go insane. With a newfound enthusiasm, I hopped up and grabbed a calendar. Scanning over the month, I marked possible weekends I could drive down there to see Bella.

Seth and Quil came in right as I was finishing up.

"Hey Edward." They both greeted me.

"Hey guys." I beamed.

"What's got you in such a great mood?" Quil asked.

"Hopefully, if my schedule works out, I get to see Bella soon!" I sang, I could hardly hold in my excitement.

They laughed and nodded their heads in understanding.

Seth and I met Quil about three days before classes started. It was a rainy day like any other, but we were bored out of our minds. We heard something going on in the hallway and went to check it out. Turns out, Quil and his friend, Claire collected ten empty, two liter bottles, wadded some duct tape into a ball, and were bowling in the hallway.

Of course, Seth and I joined in their game and totally dominated Quil and Claire. We had been hanging out ever since. Usually, Claire would bring along her roommate, Brooke, so she wasn't surrounded by 'immature guys' all the time.

Quil and Claire started dating as of yesterday and were pretty much inseparable. I would be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of him.

Just then, Claire and Brooke waltzed into the room. "What's up guys? We're bored…" Brooke sighed as she fell onto Seth's bed.

"Well we were just discussing Edward's amazing mood. Other than that, we came to see what you all wanted to do." Seth explained.

"I can break out the duct tape again. You can _always_ find something to do with that stuff." Quil laughed.

We agreed and a few minutes later, Quil came back with five rolls.

We all looked at him like he had grown an eleventh finger. _Who had five rolls of duct tape in their room?_

"What? I brought enough so everyone could have their own roll." He defended.

We spent the next hour or so coming up with new functions of duct tape.

Claire and Brooke were working on making a duct tape purse, or some bag, and Seth was determined to make a duct tape hammock he could lounge in.

"Dude, that's not going to hold your weight." Quil chuckled as Seth started attaching his contraption to a hinge on the door and the corner of his desk.

"Was that a fat joke?" Seth asked, trying to act hurt. "I _know_ this is going to work! If the myth busters can make a stinkin' boat out of duct tape I can make a hammock!"

We just laughed and watched Seth climb on top of his bed, thinking about the best way to get into the thing. He turned around and decided to go butt first.

_This can't be good…_I shut my eyes and waited for the 'thud' of Seth's body making contact with the floor.

It never came though, "Hah! I told you! This thing is-"

_THUD!_

"What was that Seth?" I teased.

"Shutup. For the record, it _did_ work!"

"For about two and a half seconds." Brooke snorted.

-:-:-

How I got in this position, I will never know.

One moment we were all making fun of Seth's failed attempt at a hammock, then the next Seth lunged for me, duct tape in hand, and started to wrap it around me. Everyone else joined in and now I was sitting against the wall with my arms bound to my sides and ankles taped together.

All four of my 'friends' had left giggling and promised to be back soon to free me, after they went to go get ice cream.

Jerks.

_BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!_

My phone started going off and luckily I had a good range of motion from my elbows down. I struggled with my pockets to get my phone out and put it on speakerphone.

"Hello?"

"Hey." I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Hey." I smiled goofily back, even though she couldn't see it.

"What are you up to?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Getting held captive in my own room by a couple rolls of duct tape and people I used to be friends with." I said annoyed.

"What?" Bella asked confused.

"We were bored, so Quil suggested we try to find something to do with duct tape because last time they realized you could bowl with it. This time they realized it's pretty much impossible for me to move around when bound together by it."

"Oh." She giggled. I heard her telling the other people in the room with her what happened.

Then she handed the phone off to someone else, "How do you get yourself in these situations?" Jasper snickered.

"Its not my fault!" I huffed.

"But you had to have done _something_ for them to tie you up…"

Seth, Quil, Claire, and Brooke came back at that moment.

"He was laughing at my hammock!" Seth yelled towards the phone.

"See? I knew it. You get yourself in trouble man." Jasper said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Can you let me free now?" I sighed.

"Sure." Brooke smiled and flitted over to me with a pair of scissors.

Once I was cut loose, I snatched my ice cream out of Quil's hand and flopped down on my bed.

"Give the phone back to Bella." I told Jasper.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna." I faintly heard Bella trying to coax the phone from him as well.

I could hear some rustling and rattling, I'm guessing from the phone being passed to somebody else.

"EDWARD! WHAT'S UP BRO?!" Emmett boomed.

"Nothing. Give the phone to Bella." I said immediately.

"You don't want to talk to me?" he pouted.

"Not right now."

"Why?"

"Because you're not Bella."

"I can act like her though, listen: _Oh Edward, how I love thee!_"

"I don't talk like that!" I heard Bella yell in the background.

"_Eddie poo, I miss you!" _He cooed.

"Emmett! Give me that phone!" There were some grunts and slapping noises that followed.

"_Eddiekins, help me!!_" Emmett squawked.

"Eddiekins? Really?"

"_Really, really._" He teased in his 'Bella voice.'

"Give. Me. The. PHONE!" She yelled as she finally got possession of it.

"Edward?" Now _that_ was my Bella's voice.

"Yeah?"

"Hi." She sighed exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry you have to live with my brothers. I know what its like." I laugh sympathetically.

"Eh, they're a lot more pleasant than Jane. I could handle living with anyone after her." She chuckled.

-:-:-

"That is so unfair Rose." I practically whined.

"Quit being a baby."

"I'm not being a baby! It is truly unfair!" I argued.

Rose had just called to see when I was planning on visiting Bella and my brothers. Turns out, she's going to get to see Emmett next weekend before she leaves for LA and was trying to convince Bella and Jasper to come see her with Emmett. And they were considering it, which meant everyone gets to be around Bella but me.

This sucks.

"Well you can whine about it with Alice because she's being a baby about it too." Rose laughed.

"Fine." I quickly hung up and dialed Alice's number.

"Edward!" she said happily.

"Hey Alice, did you hear what everyone is doing next weekend without us?"

"Yeah, Rose called me earlier. But I'm okay now because I convinced Jazzy to come see me next weekend instead of Rose."

"What?! So now I'm the only one who's going to be all by myself?" I was getting into my whiney mode again.

"Why don't you just go see Bella that weekend. I'm sure she's not going to go with Emmett anymore because then she'd probably feel like the third wheel without Jazz."

"That would be great and all, but I don't know if I have to work with residents that weekend or not yet."

"Ohhh." She said in understanding.

"Yeah."

"Well, you'll see her soon. I'm sure she'll find a way to get to you if you can't get to her."

-:-:-

I've found that distractions are good things. Especially when you walk around a campus full of couples hand-in-hand, kissing, being affectionate, everything I was missing.

It was Friday night. I should be doing something besides moping around missing Bella. If I had the choice I would be talking to her right now, but Emmett and Jasper took her off to go hang out with J, J, K, G, and I…whatever that means.

I was waiting on Seth to come back from the library so we could go out and do…something when someone started knocking on the door.

I went to answer it and found Brooke on the other side.

"Hey." She waved and walked passed me.

"Yeah, sure come on in." I said sarcastically.

She just laughed and fell to her usual spot on Seth's bed. "What are your plans for tonight Edward?" she sighed.

"There's not really a plan, more like whatever happens, happens." I chuckled.

"Are you waiting on Seth?"

"Yeah, he's at the library."

"Mind if I join you two? Claire ditched me for Quil. Man, it sucks being single!" she huffed.

"I'm sure you'll find someone sometime." I said awkwardly. I didn't really know what to tell her, all my friends that were girls had boyfriends already. I wasn't the best perosn to come to for relationship advice...I mean look at how I started things with Bella.

"You think?" she asked quietly.

Still feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and nodded. Luckily, Seth burst in the room, saving me from the conversation.

"Friday night! WHOOO!" he said as he pumped his fist in the air.

_Him and Emmett would get along well…_

"Do you have a plan for tonight? Because Cullen has nothing." Brooke laughed.

"We are going to that new pizza place on University Avenue! It's their grand opening night and everybody who is _somebody_ is going to be there." He smirked.

"Alright, party!!" Brooke cheered with him.

I grabbed my cell phone and wallet and we headed out. It was only about three blocks from the school and we ran into a couple students we knew from school.

Once we got to the pizza place (which was cleverly named _Pizza!_) we found a table and ordered the weirdest thing we saw on the menu – a large peanut butter and jelly pizza.

There weren't many people there yet, but it was still pretty early for the college crowd to arrive. We had joined tables with some students Seth and I had residency duties with, Alec, Peter, and Charlotte.

They were having the same problems and us, not having any real plans for tonight. I got to talk with Alec and found out he and his girlfriend weren't having the greatest time dealing with the separation between colleges as well.

We ended up in the arcade room, crowded around the basketball hoop game. They didn't believe me when I bragged about being able to get a perfect score. I couldn't help but boast. I hadn't touched a basketball in almost a month and I was just itching to show off my skills, hopefully I still had them…

"You're telling me that you can sink _all_ ten?" Brooke asked skeptically while Seth scoffed.

"Sure." I shrugged my shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Well let's see if this guy is all talk or not!" Peter said as he offered me the first basketball.

I happily grabbed the ball and they started the timer. I had three minutes.

"_Ready…Set…Shoot!" _The machine ordered.

I carefully lined up the ball with the basket and it smoothly 'whooshed' though the net. I couldn't help the smirk that spread across my face.

"Don't get too cocky, you still have nine more." Alec teased as I sunk the second ball.

I shot the last ball and grinned when it hit the backboard and fell through the hoop.

The alarms and sirens on top of the backboard went off and everyone in the restaurant clapped and cheered.

"So…" I smirked again as I looked around at all of my friends.

"Okay, okay, you have got some serious skills." Seth laughed and gave me a high five.

"Wow. I honestly didn't think you could do it." Brooke and Charlotte said, looking a little shocked.

"I had faith in you man!" Alec said slapping my back, Peter agreed with him.

The owners came up and informed me that I won a punch card for five free large pizzas for making the sirens go off. Seth was pretty excited about that.

It was a pretty great night all together. Peter and Seth played a few rounds of the basketball game to try a win their own pizza card, but never made all ten shots. Then I saw the air hockey table and Charlotte started talking about how she was 'the bomb' at that game and could beat me easily, so I played a few rounds with her.

We played best two out of three and she had won the first game, while I won the second. The third game wasn't fair _at all _because she had Brooke grab the extra puck-hitter thing and blocked the 'goal' for Charlotte's side so I couldn't get it in.

The PB&J pizza was surprisingly good. It tasted like the real thing, only with pizza crust instead of bread, and these breadcrumb things sprinkled on top.

We walked back to campus, all pretty hyped up from our fun night. Charlotte was giving Brooke a piggyback ride and Seth was giving Peter one. Alec and I stayed back a little ways from them so it wouldn't look like we actually knew those crazy people.

"So, how long have you and your girlfriend been dating?" Alec asked.

"End of November will be two years." I said proudly.

"Whoa, my girlfriend and I will have only gone out a year in December."

"So is this the first time you've been away from each other for a long time?" I asked him.

"Well, I was gone for a month and a half out of the summer when I got to go to Italy. It was pretty hard on her, but we made it through."

"So how was it…for you?" I was wondering if I was feeling the right way about the whole situation. Of course I missed Bella like hell, but I felt bad for having fun without her, and then jealous when she told me about all the great things happening to her over there.

"Being in Italy was a nice way to take my mind off of it, but I always found something that reminded me of her everywhere we went. Then I would feel guilty for experiencing all these things without her. We talked every night and would tell each other about our days. Whenever she hung out with her friends I was mad I couldn't be there with her, but at the same time I was so excited to be where I was. It's just confusing and you'll have your fights, but it makes being able to kiss and make up worth it."

"So I'm not crazy for wanting to be furious with my brothers for getting to see her everyday?"

"Definitely not." He chuckled, "So where does your girl go to school?"

"Washington State."

"No way, so does Jane!" my eyes probably popped out of my head.

_It couldn't be…_

"Oh…what a…uh, coincidence." I coughed.

"Yeah, so I never did catch your girlfriend's name…"

"Oh, um…Bella." I mumbled, hoping he wouldn't understand.

"Bella?! As in Isabella Swan?" he gaped.

_Crap._

"Yeah…it seems we have something in common…" I laughed nervously, hoping to keep the mood light.

He laughed with me, "That is hilarious. I heard they didn't get along to well."

_How is he so…normal and going out with the 'loony roomie'?_

"Me too."

"Oh well, doesn't mean we have to hate each other does it?" he asked.

"Nahh…we won't tell them though, just in case." I chuckled.

"Good idea."

**A/N: Hah! Who didn't see that coming?**

**Favorite Part?**

**How Alec is Jane's boyfriend :) I couldn't resist...**

**Next chapter is Rosalie POV!!**

**Please Review and come follow me on twitter!! (.com/lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	6. Handshakes Are For Strangers

**A/N: So...I've never written in Rosalie POV before, I hope you like it :)**

RPOV

"Okay class, I want you to close your eyes and take in a deep breath…now slowly let it out…" Mrs. Rayne instructed.

Mrs. Rayne was my 'Emotional Connection' teacher. I'm not joking, that was her real title. She helped us learn how to connect with the characters we had to portray. Despite this being my favorite class, the lady was absolutely outrageous. She believed in having a sixth sense and being able to talk to spirits and things like that.

Today we were learning how to take our own memories and apply them to a character's own emotions.

"Leave your eyes closed and I want everyone to think back to the last time you were truly happy."

_"Edward, you're just jealous." I smirked at him._

_"Why would I be jealous?" he asked honestly._

_"Because you don't have a true hair color. I mean seriously what is that called? It's not blonde, it's not red, and it's not brown, AND it's not like the stuff ever lays the way you want it to anyway. You look like you just walked out of a wind tunnel all the time."_

_"Hey! I like it that way!" Bella defended._

_We were all camped out in the Cullen's living room the night before moving day and somehow we had gotten on the topic of hair. It was Edward's funny-colored locks that were up for discussion at the moment._

_"Yes, he does have a unique shade, but that's what makes it so beautiful and interesting." Alice mused._

_"I don't see it. To me it just looks like he doesn't care what his hair looks like." Jasper snorted._

_"And all I see is brown. How can you not call that a light brown Rosie?!" Emmett looked at me in disbelief._

_"Because Emmie, its not brown. Bella's hair is brown, Edward's is just…" I sat trailed off not knowing exactly what to call it._

_All my friends around me started thinking about it themselves and we were quiet for a long time. At some point, Carlisle had walked in and was looking around at the six of us._

_"You all must be really trying to figure something out because Emmett has on his thinking face and we ever rarely see that." He chuckled._

_"Brown!" Emmett yelled out suddenly._

_"No, we don't know what it is!" I argued back._

_"Why does it matter?" Edward tried to holler over our bickering._

_Soon, all of us were arguing about Edward's hair._

_Bella was trying to convince us that it was bronze like a penny, Alice thought it should stay a mystery or it might ruin the essence of Edward's mop top, Jasper didn't really care, Emmett kept chanting "Brown, brown, brown, brown," I was chanting back "No, no, no, no," Edward was with Jasper, in that he didn't think it really mattered, and Carlisle was trying to stop all the fighting._

_"EVERYONE STOP!" Carlisle yelled out finally._

_All of our heads whipped around to meet him and he doubled over in laughter. We soon followed him and were gasping for breath from the absurdity of the argument._

Mrs. Rayne pulled me from the memory with another request, "Now think of sorrow. Remember the last time you just felt like breaking down and crying. I want to be able to see the pain on everyone's face when I look around the room."

_Bella quietly excused herself and walked out the door. Emmett and I just stood there staring at each other, his eyes were glazed over as tears threatened to spill out as mine were already cascading down my face at full force._

_We just stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. I knew Emmett wasn't the best with goodbyes and I just didn't know what to say. Well that's actually a lie, I wanted to tell him to stay and never leave me, but that wouldn't be fair._

_Psh, who am I kidding? When does Rosalie Hale ever care about what's fair?_

_"You can't go." I sniffed._

_I watched as Emmett's eyes twisted into pain and his tears poured out one by one._

_I closed the small distance between us with a few strides and wrapped my arms and legs around his body. I nestled my head in to crook of his neck and whispered how much I was going to miss him._

_He pulled me tighter against his chest and took in a shaky breath, "I am absolutely, positively, so much in love with you Rosalie that I will never stop thinking about you until you're safe in my arms again. But I know we can do this. We've been through this before and this time will be easier, I'm sure of it." He offered a small smile and I returned it with my lips crashing to his._

_"I love you too Emmett." I mumbled against his mouth._

_He held me for what seemed like only a few seconds longer before he had to get going. I walked him to the door and before he exited he spun around and grabbed my face between his hands, "I love you Rosie, and I'll miss you like hell."_

_With that he fused our lips together for the last time and I watched as he walked down the hallway and out of my sight._

_I ended up crumpled on the floor beside the door. No tears were coming out, I was sure I had cried them all out, but the break in my heart was still present and I was sure the only way to mend it was to be with him again._

"Everyone open your eyes now and notice Miss Hale, she has obviously connected with sorrow so deeply that it has brought back all the pain."

I opened my eyes slowly and found all my classmates giving me sympathetic looks and Mrs. Rayne looking so proud as though her only child had won a Nobel Prize.

Paul nudged my arm and offered a tissue, I didn't understand until he motioned to my eyes and I realized I was crying.

"Would you like to tell us what memory you picked? You don't have to go into detail, but I for one am very curious as to what made you react that way."

I cleared my throat and put on convincing smile, "It was just when I had to say goodbye to someone I really cared about."

"Ah, I see. Hold onto that feeling, being able to cry on command is a real money maker." Mrs. Rayne joked.

I laughed along with her and listened to the rest of her lesson until we were dismissed.

Paul and Gianna walked with me back to the dorms, each with a comforting arm around my shoulder. They knew I was having a hard time lately because Emmett was coming to visit me this weekend and I could hardly hold in my emotions I was so excited.

It was Thursday afternoon and Emmett would be arriving later in the evening tomorrow night. I had been replaying our goodbye everyday and it always brought me to tears, sometimes they were happy because I knew he was coming to see me soon, and other times they were sad from knowing he would just have to leave again after the short two days.

"Alright, we are doing something fun tonight." Gianna declared, trying to lighten my mood.

"I say we host another round of 'Finally get Aro and Heidi to realize their feelings for each other.'" Paul smirked, "I mean did you see them last night during the movie? Heidi was practically on top of him!"

"I know just what we need to do!" I said happily, eyeing Gianna.

-:-:-

The five of us usually had movie nights on weeknights when none of us had work to do, so I chose Texas Chainsaw Massacre to put our plan into motion.

Heidi, Gianna, and I were popping the popcorn while waiting for the guys to arrive when I gave Gianna the signal let her know to begin phase one.

"So Aro is coming tonight, right?" Gianna asked innocently.

"Of course...why?" Heidi seemed curious.

"Just wondering, I was hoping he'd be here."

"Oh." Heidi replied shortly.

I inwardly high-fived myself, we were off to a good start.

Paul and Aro arrived with the candy and we crowded around the TV. Paul and I usually shared the recliner while Gianna took a spot on the floor and Heidi and Aro took the couch, but tonight Gianna plopped right in between Heidi and Aro. They both looked at each other with annoyed expressions before focusing their attention to the movie.

Gianna was playing her part well as the movie started getting scary and she would hide behind Aro's shoulder. Heidi was getting more and more aggravated by the minute and Aro looked so uncomfortable it was down right hilarious.

All of the sudden, Heidi paused the movie, "Rose I need more popcorn, want to help me in the kitchen?"

I looked down at her bowl and noticed it was still half full and smirked, "Sure."

We entered the small kitchen where you could still see what was going on in the living room and Heidi started snapping her fingers, that's what she did when she was nervous, stressed, uncomfortable, any high level of emotion really, "What is going on with those two?!" she whisper-yelled.

"Who?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Gianna and Aro!" she said flinging her hands in the air.

"Oh? I didn't really notice anything…"

"How could you not?! She is all over him!"

"Does that bother you?" I asked carefully.

"Obviously!" she said a little too loud and Paul, Aro, and Gianna turned around to see what was going on.

"Need any help in there?" Paul offered, trying to hide his smile.

"Yes! Paul come here I have a question!" Heidi called.

Paul entered the kitchen as well and had to press his lips together to keep form laughing, Heidi was raging.

"You saw Aro and Gianna in there cuddling didn't you?!"

"Cuddling? No. Maybe he was just comforting her during the scary parts." He said a little suggestively.

"Comforting my ass…" Heidi grumbled.

"Are you okay Heidi? Why do you care so much anyway?" Paul asked sincerely.

She sighed and started snapping again. I grabbed her fingers to quiet them and she sighed again, "Okay, I like Aro."

The biggest smile broke out across my face and I hollered for Gianna to join us.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Heidi hissed as Gianna bounced up from the couch and entered the almost too-crowded kitchen.

"What's up?" She smiled sweetly as Heidi glowered at her.

"She finally confessed." I told Gianna who smiled knowingly.

"Wait…_what_?!" Heidi growled.

"It sure took you long enough, I was thinking I would have to whip out some of my good tricks." Gianna teased.

"You guys knew?!" she asked in utter shock.

"Well, yeah. Honey, its not that big of a secret." Paul snickered.

"We were waiting for you two to finally jump each other or something, but it never happened, so we decided to take matters into out own hands." I told her.

"So...Gianna Aro _don't _have a thing?" she asked us.

We all shook our heads.

"Then can we all return to our regular movie-watching spots?"

"Of course." Gianna laughed as Heidi smiled again and flitted over to Aro's side.

"I'd say tonight was successful." Paul laughed, "Now we just have to convince Heidi to go in for the kill."

-:-:-

Friday afternoon, 5:00 p.m.

Emmett would be leaving Pullman soon and be in here in about three hours.

I was freaking out.

All morning I had gone through outfit after outfit, trying to find the perfect one to wear for Emmett.

I settled on a pair of distressed jeans, silver flats (because heels would slow me down when I tried to run into his arms), a plain white tank, and his WSU basketball jersey from last year I stole, over that. I tied it in the back to make it a little more form fitting and made sure I had his promise ring securely on my finger.

I only had swing dance class that day so I had plenty of time to kill, which turned out to be very hard. I went to breakfast at the café with Heidi before our class and could only eat a couple bites of my muffin and a few sips of juice because my stomach was in knots.

After class I searched the parking lot, hoping he was able to make it down here earlier, but the Jeep was nowhere in sight.

Gianna tried to distract me with talk about how to break down Aro into confessing his love for Heidi, but I wasn't in the zone.

I decided to sit on the front steps of my building so I could see Emmett the moment he pulled in and Paul joined me.

"You know, your boyfriend better not be as good looking as he is in those pictures you've shown me, or you might have some competition." He joked.

"You don't stand a chance Paul, Emmett is _so_ out of your league."

We spent the better part of the day arguing about what league Paul truly was in and then it hit 5:00, present time, where I had my gaze fixed on the road.

Every car that passed made my heart skip a beat, or start racing, or stop altogether.

_BZZ! BZ! BZ! BZ! BZZ!_

My phone went off and Emmett's name flashed across the screen. I just sat there staring at it with my mouth open.

Paul lifted a finger and shut my jaw, "Answer it stupid!" he laughed.

I gave him a dirty look and flipped my phone open.

"Emmie?"

"ROSE! I'M LIKE AN HOUR AWAY!" He boomed.

"Really?!" I shrieked.

"YES!! START YOUR WARM-UP LIP DRILLS BECAUSE I EXPECT A BIG WET ONE WHEN I SEE YOU!" he continued to yell.

"I will, I will, just stop yelling!" I scolded.

"Sorry…I'm just a little excited. Bells and Jazz weren't too happy with me this morning when I came in there rooms and jumped on their beds yelling 'I GETTA SEE MY ROSIE TODAY!'" he laughed sheepishly.

"Oh, Emmett…" I sighed and shook my head.

_I miss him so damn much._

"Listen, I can drive faster with two hands, so I'll see you in a little bit." He said hurriedly.

"Alright, love you."

"Love you too."

-:-:-

I continued to stay on my step in front of the building, even after Paul went inside. It almost felt like I could sense him getting closer. My legs started bouncing up and down furiously, my feet tapped a fast tempo rhythm on the cement beneath them, and I began to snap like Heidi does when she's anxious.

At one point, a Jeep similar to Emmett's turned the corner and I jumped up and started sprinting towards it, but then I realized it was white and shuffled back to my stoop on the steps.

I don't know how much time passed between the Emmett Imposter and now, but it seemed long enough. I was studying my nails, trying to distract myself when I heard tires screeching around the corner. My head snapped in its direction and I could see Emmett's toothy grin behind the wheel. Before I could even react and run to meet him, he pulled the huge vehicle onto the sidewalk and lunged out, tripping in the process.

I took a moment to really look at him, he was wearing the 'I Love RH' t-shirt I got him for Christmas a couple years ago and his favorite, worn out jeans. His promise ring gleamed in the sunlight and I could feel my smile growing even larger, if that was possible.

Immediately he scooped me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, tangled my hands in his hair, and peppered kisses all over his face.

"I. Missed. You. So. So. So. So. So. So. _So_. Much!" I got out between kisses.

I saved the best for last and ran my tongue along his bottom lip before he couldn't take it any longer and forcefully collided our mouths together.

He let out a satisfied hum and pulled me closer to him.

"You stole my jersey." He breathed out as he took in my attire.

"And?" I challenged him.

"Its sure looks better on you than it ever did on me." He chuckled.

I giggled as he set me to my feet again but kept our hands firmly clasped together.

We got in the Jeep so he could move it to a parking spot and wouldn't get a ticket, all the while giddily laughing at random moments just because we were finally together.

We walked back to my dorm, well Emmett skipped, and I couldn't erase the smile on my face. It didn't help that Emmett was humming _Reunited_ by Peaches and Herb. That just made me think about how much I had missed him and his goofiness.

We entered my room and Emmett said before he was introduced to anybody we had to make up for lost times. So after a make out session on my bed, he was finally ready to meet all my friends.

Gianna and Heidi were in the living room watching TV and didn't notice us enter, so Emmett casually went and sunk down on the floor right in front of the television, "What in the world are you watching?" he asked in a disgusted voice.

"Extreme Makeover." Gianna answered, still engrossed in the program.

"It's a show about plastic surgery." I informed him as I crawled into his lap.

"WHAT DID THEY JUST TAKE OUT OF HER NOSE?!" he shrieked.

"_Shhh!!_" both girls scolded him together.

Finally it was commercial break and Heidi realized who our guest was, "Oh my gosh! When did you get here Emmett?!"

"Around the time they started reconstructing that lady's cartilage in her face." He said, still with a grossed out look.

"Sorry, we were really into the show." Gianna said sheepishly.

"_Really??_ I was about to puke all over your floor." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes, "Emmett this is my other roommate Gianna, Gianna this is my boyfriend Emmett. And Heidi, you and Emmett have already met."

Both girls went in for a polite handshake, but Emmett being Emmett crushed them with his infamous bear hugs instead.

"Handshakes are for _strangers_!" he scoffed after releasing them from his vice.

We made our way up to the floor above mine and knocked on the boys' door. Paul greeted us, and his eyes lit up when he saw the man latched to my hand, "Emmie!!" he said as he went in for a hug.

"Paulie!!" Emmett hugged him back.

"Something I should know about?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow.

"Yes," Emmett looked at me seriously, "I'm sorry to say this, but Paul has shown me what its like to drive on the opposite side of the rode…if you know what I mean…"

It took about .9 seconds until they both toppled over in hysterics. I couldn't help but laugh with them, a gay Emmett was definitely an interesting thought.

"Actually the night he thought I was trying to get with you and he called to yell at me, we had a nice conversation." Paul explained.

I just laughed again and entered the guys' place. Aro had come out of his room and was probably wondering what all the commotion was.

"Aro, I want you to meet my boyfriend. This is Emmett, Emmett this is Aro."

"Ello, a pleasure to meet you." Aro said, his had held out for a shake. Little did he know, that's not the way Emmett rolled...

Emmett chuckled and gave Aro a manly 'pat on the back' hug, "You know, you remind me of a less dorkier version of my brother."

"Edward?" Aro guessed. I had told him so many times about how he and Edward were so much alike it was scary.

"Yeah! But he couldn't pull off a British accent like you." Emmett mused.

-:-:-

We spent very little time with everyone, before retreating back into my room. I didn't want to share Emmett with anyone. He was here to see _me_ and I wasn't about to deprive him of that joy.

We traded stories about everyday of our lives that we had missed not being together. Emmett told me something about needing to cook for me this weekend sometime so he could see this new apron Bella let him get…

I was just stuck in a complete state of bliss. We were cuddled up on my bed and Emmett would rub my back as he talked and I could feel the vibrations as my head rested high up on his shoulder. I began to start asking him questions about things I didn't really care about at all just so I could hear his voice.

We stayed up most of the night talking, with random outbursts of kissing and I remember hearing both our phones going off at some point, but we didn't make a move to go answer them. We were content with life at the moment. I had my Emmett and he had his Rosie, and I was truly happy.

Emmett fell asleep around two in the morning and I welcomed the snores that used to annoy the living crap out of me and I started to feel my eyes droop.

As sleep began to consume me I remember thinking, _I know exactly what my happy memory will be next time I have class with Mrs. Rayne._

**A/N: Aww! :)**

**Favorite?  
"WHAT DID THEY JUST TAKE OUT OF HER NOSE?!" he shrieked.  
I don't know about you, but I hatewatching plastic surgery shows, its sooo disgusting. But once I start watching them I can't stop...its a problem... :P**

**Next Chapter is Alice POV!!**

**And a quick shout out to all my reviewers and followers!!  
I FREAKING LOVE YOU GUYS LIKE THE BIRDS LOVE THE BEES :)**

**Please Review and Follow!! (www . twitter . com / lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	7. Extra Whipped Cream

APOV :D

_Jasper cleared his throat and shut off the engine, "We're here…"_

_I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before bouncing out of my seat, "Well come on sweetie! You need to help me get all my things out of the back."_

_On the outside I tried to make it seem like I was excited and happy and bubbly, the normal Alice, but on the inside I was getting torn apart. On one hand I was so thrilled to be at college, but on the other, I was crumbling in my fears. I didn't want to leave Jazzy, I didn't want to be hours upon hours away from my friends, I didn't want to start this new chapter of my life without them._

_The smiles were all a show for Jasper. I knew he felt like he abandoned me my senior year and I wasn't going to let him feel bad about this too._

_He chuckled and followed me to the trunk, "I still don't know how you and Bella got all this stuff to fit."_

_"Well I organized it all so it fit in there as snug as it could and Bella sat on the car while I closed the trunk." I giggled._

_He just shook his head and grabbed a few bags. When we got up to my room, it was deserted and I realized my roommate hadn't arrived yet._

_After multiple trips to the car and back, we finally had all my belongings inside the room._

_"Stay and help me unpack?" I asked Jazz sweetly._

_"Of course, I mean I am the only one here that knows your organization system." He said as he winked at me._

_We spent a couple hours getting my side of the dorm situated and I noticed Jasper glance at his watch._

_"Don't say it…" I whispered as I ran into his arms._

_"I have to be going soon, Ali. Emmett and Bells are expecting me to be there around 8."_

_"So this is it, huh?" I rested my forehead against his chest._

_"Guess so…" he trailed off._

_"I want to say something but you can't interrupt me!" I said poking his chest._

_"What is it?"_

_I took in a breath and started spitting the words out as the came, "I know you love me, and I know that I love you. I'm going to miss you and I'm going to cry but you can't beat yourself up about it. Girls cry. It's not something new, especially with me. You are going to give me the best damn kiss you've ever planted on me, tell me how much I mean to you, and then march out that door, into your car, and drive Pullman without feeling like you're leaving me behind."_

_"But I am-" he started to protest._

_"Ah ah ah! Didn't you just here me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then what are you going to do?" I smirked._

_"Stay."_

_"Come again?" I didn't think I heard him correctly._

_"I'm staying here."_

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

I shot my hand out from under the covers and felt around for the stupid alarm clock. I accidentally knocked it off and heard it plummet to the ground.

"Serves you right, you no good dream messer-upper." I grumbled at it.

"Not the best morning Al?" I heard Leah pipe up from the doorway.

"So far it sucks." I groaned and flopped back down into my pillow.

"What happened this time?" she sighed as she came to sit on my bed.

"I had just given my whole 'don't feel bad' speech and he told me he wanted to stay." I smiled a little remembering the look of pure happiness in his eyes when he said that.

I had been having the same dream since the night I arrived here. It was always the same up until my big speech. The ending changed every night. It was nothing like how the real thing went down though.

_"Ah ah ah! Didn't you just hear me?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then what are you going to do?" I smirked._

_I didn't get much time to prepare because Jasper practically jumped me the moment the words left my mouth. He placed billions of small kisses around the corners of my mouth and then sucked my bottom lip between his. Even adding a little dip at the end, he nipped at my tongue before setting me upright again._

_"Does that meet your qualifications for the best damn kiss ever?" he teased._

_"Mmm-hmmm…" I replied dazed._

_There was an almost immediate change in the air as we both came back to reality. It was time. The tears I had been keeping at bay all afternoon finally came spilling out._

_I only spoke above a whisper, because that's all I managed to get out, "I love you Jazzy, and I'll miss you tons."_

_"You mean the world to me Alice. I'll probably spend every waking and sleeping moment with thoughts of you. I love you, Mary Alice Brandon. Wait for me to come back to you."_

_He whispered the last sentence and softly placed a kiss on my forehead. His eyes were brimming with tears and he gave me one last squeeze before marching out the door exactly like I told him to._

_That's my Jazzy… I thought and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, despite the blubbering and hiccoughing coming from my body._

Leah waved a hand in front of my face to bring back down from the memory, "I'm sorry Al, but hey! Isn't he going to be here in like a day??"

"Ohmigosh! You're totally right!" I sprung out of my bed with a new wave of excitement, "Let's go get some breakfast, I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" I rambled off as I sifted through my drawers.

"Sure…I could go for some food." Leah shrugged.

"Come on! Where is your enthusiasm?! Jazzy is coming to visit soon!" I sang.

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm not as excited as you are…clearly."

I just rolled my eyes and flitted to the bathroom so I could get ready for the day.

_JAZZY IS COMING!!_

-:-:-

"You want the lines to be crisp and sharp, but flow off the page at the same time…" I zoned out Mr. Marc as he droned on and on about how to sketch our designs perfectly. I wouldn't be taking this class if it weren't mandatory. The sketches are like the rough draft. They don't need to be the definition of perfection, that's what the final product is for!!

I occupied my time with drawing hearts all over my sketch book, along with a few 'A+J=Love'.

Leah glanced over at me and snorted, she wasn't into the whole love thing, it just 'wasn't her style'. I made a bet with myself that I could prove her wrong though, before spring break Leah _will_ have someone.

Finally we were dismissed and Leah and I made our way to the cafeteria for lunch. Embry, Carmen, and Elezar were already seated at a table.

"What's up puddin' cups?" I smiled as I sat down.

"Wow, someone is chipper today." Carmen laughed.

"Well you would be too if you hot boyfriend was going to be in the same vicinity as you around this time tomorrow!!" I squealed.

"So we finally get to meet the famous Jasper Cullen?" Elezar smirked, I had been talking about Jasper non-stop since I met them, naturally.

"Yes you will." I giggled back.

"We should have Jasper visit more often. I like giddy Alice." Embry smiled.

"Well I have no problem with that, you'll have to take it up with him." I giggled again.

I spent the rest of the lunch hour telling my friends all about Jasper, I just couldn't stop. Afterwards, Embry and I had to head to sewing class, so we linked arms and merrily made our way to the building.

We were supposed to be working on our semester projects, but Embry and I got kind of caught up in our plans for our debut ball gown line.

"Do you think the champagne sweetheart dress should have layering or not?" Embry asked me as he studied the sketches we had drawn.

"I like the way it looks with the layers, but I think it they would look better on that deep purple colored gown." I thought out loud while searching for the sketch.

I found what I was looking for and made a few alterations before showing it to Embry, "Perfect! We'll go with the layering for the purple and the bunching for the champagne." He decided.

So far in our collection we had a total of thirteen sketches that we were considering for the actual line. They ranged from elegant and chic, to eye-catching and flaunt worthy, all the way to simple and sophisticated.

We had gotten the idea when Embry found a picture from winter formal. He loved how Rosalie, Bella, and I all had completely unique styles, but they looked like they belonged together. I'm pretty sure I freaked him out a little when I randomly burst into tears, but he just described us so perfectly and I couldn't help but apply his observation of our dress styles to our personalities. Yes, we were all total opposites, but somehow the three of us just fit together.

After my breakdown, I explained to him that they were my girls, my sisters, my best friends and creating something that centered around them was the best idea I had ever heard of.

We got to work immediately and planned to introduce our masterpieces to the world our senior year. That way we had nearly four whole years to perfect the line and make everything exactly how we wanted it.

As we happily worked on our sewing machines, my thoughts drifted back to Jasper. How could they not? He was going to be here, with me, soon.

"Auurgghhh!!" I groaned as a shooting pain went through my pointer finger.

"What?! What?!" Embry ran over to my station.

I lifted up the throbbing finger, "I wasn't paying attention and…got my finger with the needle." I said sheepishly.

"That's what you get for daydreaming about your boy when you should be concentrating." Embry tsked.

-:-:-

"No, for the last time Alice, no, no, no, _NO_!" Leah said as she slammed the book she was trying to study with closed and stood up.

"But he is _cute_! I mean super duper cute! Those guys are hard to find…" I argued with her.

"I don't see it, to me he's just the kid that sits behind me in class." She shrugged.

"But he likes you! I can tell, I mean why else would have walked you out of the building?"

"I'm not asking him out Alice. Let. It. Go."

"But Leahhhhhh!"

"No buts Brandon. Drop it. Now, we need to clean this place up before Jasper gets here. Do you and Sarah ever pick up after yourselves?" Leah made a face as she looked around my pigsty of a room.

I glanced around and cringed at what I saw, "I actually hadn't realized it got this bad. I'm normally not this disorganized believe it or not." I chuckled.

We turned up our favorite song and started to work. Not ten seconds into it, a different song blared from across the hall.

"That woman is really starting to piss me off!" Leah snorted.

"I know, but thankfully she's rarely ever here now that she's going out with that James guy."

"Well, I will not tolerate this, our music isn't even that loud!" She stood up and stormed out the door, into the hallway.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"Open up _Vicky_!" Leah sneered.

"Its Victoria!" She yelled from inside her room.

"I honestly don't care! Now, turn the music down or I'll do it for you!"

Victoria swung the door open and glared at the two of us, "What do you want?"

"Just turn down your music and we'll be happy." I said sweetly.

Victoria didn't like sweet.

"Turn _your_ music down!" she yelled over the pounding speakers.

"Well compared to the crap coming from your room, our speakers sound like a whisper!" Leah moved right in front of her.

"Get out of my face!" Victoria hollered and shoved Leah's shoulder.

That sent Leah off the edge and I had to hold her back before she shoved Vicky right back and started something.

"Victoria, just turn the stupid noise down. You know ours isn't loud enough where you have to cover it up with your sorry excuse for music so just quit being a bitch and freaking calm down." I didn't wait for a reply and pulled Leah back into my room, but not quick enough before she flipped Victoria off.

"I don't know how you stand living across from her." Leah huffed.

"Well, usually she just sends me snarky comments about how I sound like a dying chipmunk or that I remind her of an ugly tinkerbell." I laughed, Victoria thought she really got to me with her little insults, but I just found them hilariously stupid.

"Man, one of these days I'm gonna get her. And it will be good." Leah said thoughtfully, probably already planning her attack on Vicky.

-:-:-

I woke up the next morning feeling lighter and happier than I had in a while. I checked the clock, 8:30, which meant four and a half hours until Jasper arrived!

I didn't have any classes today so I had no idea what I would be doing with my time. Thankfully, Carmen called and offered to distract me after her only class this morning.

I got ready for the day, throwing on a pair of jeans, pink flip-flops, and a plain pink tee. I happily snapped on my charm bracelet and locket, courtesy of the last two years of Christmas presents from Jasper and headed out the door for some much needed coffee.

For most people coffee energized them, but for me, it calmed me down. I guess since I'm usually bouncing all over the place, trying to do thirteen things at once, and still have energy, caffeine doesn't have the same effect on me as most people.

Sugar on the other hand…well, let's just say I've had to lay off the pixie sticks quite a bit.

I ordered a caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream and found a table to wait for Carmen.

The extra whipped cream wasn't such a good idea. I was already hyped up from my excitement to see Jazzy and now I had sugar flowing through my veins, with not outlet for all the stored up energy.

So there I sat, in the college's Starbucks, looking like a crazy lady with fidgeting problems. My chin was rested on my right palm and I repeatedly drummed my fingers on the side of my cheek and I was tapping the rhythm to several Jonas Brothers' songs with my feet.

Somewhere in between my very own remix of "Burnin' Up" and "SOS" I saw Carmen glide through the doors.

"Ohmygosh! Carmenyouhavetohelpme!" I realized how fast I was talking, but my brain wouldn't send the message to slow down to my mouth.

"Huh?" She replied, utterly confused.

"Toomuchsugar…whippedcream…Jasperisgoingtobeheresoon…Ineedtocalmdown!"

"Okay, I got _whipped cream_, _Jasper_, and _calm down!_ But the rest is all gibberish to me…" she said slowly, "How about I get you some water…maybe that will help. You go sit down and try to stop twitching." She giggled.

I sent her the best glare I could manage and sat back down.

The water was a good idea and I was able to form coherent sentences after a few minutes.

"So want to tell me what happened?" Carmen asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Well, I came down here for some coffee, and ordered a caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream…"

"Oh no!" Carmen knew what sugar did to me, especially if I hadn't had anything to eat with it.

"Yeah…so I got to thinking about how soon I would get to see Jazzy, and then I got all worked up and couldn't sit still. That's when you came in."

"Are you all better now?" she asked carefully.

"I think so. It might be a good idea to go back to my room and lay down, want to join me?"

Carmen agreed and we grabbed some real breakfast food before heading back to the dorms. Carmen sprawled out on Sarah's bed, while I laid back on mine and we fell into an easy conversation about the guys in our life.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, I heard the door click shut. I peeped open one eye and glanced over to the other bed, Carmen wasn't there anymore. She must have just left.

I sighed and rolled back over to face the wall, figuring it was still a while before Jasper got in and I needed to kill some time.

I was just about to drift off again when the bed sunk on the right side and a strong arm encircled my waist. At first I panicked.

_Who is this creep that thinks they can just climb into bed with me?!_

Then I heard him sigh and bury his face into my hair and I just about jumped out of my skin.

"JASPER?!" I flipped around and was met by his smiling face, "WHEN DID YOU GET HERE? HOW DID YOU GET IN?! _OH MY GOD_, DID I MISS YOU!"

He placed a finger over my mouth and chuckled, "About five minutes ago, the door was unlocked, and I missed you too."

He replaced his finger with his sweet, warm lips and I smiled at the contact. I had just ran my tongue across his bottom lip when…

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"Open up you little freak!" Victoria shrieked through the door.

"Go awayyy!!" I groaned and threw a pillow at the door.

"No! If I get yelled out for having my music too loud, than you will sure as hell get yelled at right back for _YELLING_ so loud!"

I reluctantly got up and stomped to the door, opening it to reveal a firey redhead with a temper.

"Can I help you?" I sneered.

"Yes, you can do the whole floor a favor and stop screaming in your stupid chipmunk voice!"

"I don't see anyone else banging on my door and complaining, so it looks like I'm only bothering you!" I shot back.

"What's going on?" Jasper asked curiously as he moved into Victoria's line of vision.

"_Vicky_ here has a problem with me." I huffed.

"What's the problem?" he asked Victoria calmly.

She stared at him shocked, "N-nothing. I just, uhm…sorry Alice, I didn't realize you had company." She blushed.

_What the heck?_

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak to her that way anymore." Jasper said seriously as Vicky ducked her head down, mumbled another apology, blushed once more, and then disappeared into her room.

_No way…Vicky did not just apologize…_

"I'm going to have to keep you around more often…looks like you charmed Bitchy Vicky without even trying." I smirked.

"I thought you were exaggerating about her…" Jasper laughed.

"Nope. Just as much of a witch as I described."

Things got quiet quick and I remembered it had been about a month since I'd been this close to Jasper.

"EEEEEEEE!!" I ran into his arms and clutched my arms around his neck.

"Shh! We don't want Vicky to come back." He snickered.

"I don't care! I'm just so happy to see you!"

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening cooped up in my dorm.

We ordered pizza and popped in a movie, I don't really remember which one I picked. We just laid on my bed and caught up, relishing in the feeling of finally being together again.

"I still can't believe you're here." I mumbled as he rubbed circles on my back.

"Believe it babe." He teased, "I booked it straight from my U.S. History class to the car and went twenty miles over the speed limit the whole way here. I thought I was going to get pulled over a couple times, but surprisingly the cops never came after me."

"So seriously, how did you get in the building? I know my door was unlocked but you need a key to get into the front door too."

"I actually ran into your friend Elezar. He came over her to see if Carmen was with you and recognized me from the very descriptive appearance described to them yesterday." He laughed, nudging my arm.

"Well, sue me! I was excited and they asked about you, so I told them everything." I blushed.

"_Everything_?" he whispered.

"Everything."

I lifted my head from his chest and looked into his eyes. Inching closer and closer, I could start to feel his hot breath fan across my face. His lips ghosted against mine and…

_BZZ! BZZZ! BZZZZ!_

My phone was freaking out on my nightstand and I looked at the time, 10:46, no one would be calling this late if it weren't important…

I reached over and flipped open the phone, "Hello?"

"Alice! Someone is here!!" Bella frantically whispered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone is at the apartment! Alice, what do I do?!" I heard the urgent panic in her voice and didn't know what to do myself. Millions of thoughts were running through my head.

_What if someone wanted to hurt her? Where in the apartment are they? I can't live without Bella. If something happens to her and I couldn't of done anything to try and stop it I'll never forgive myself. There has to be someone I can call to help her!_

Jasper was looking at me with worried eyes, obviously hearing how terrified Bella sounded and watching my expression change from worried to terrified and back.

"Okay, Bella just calm down and do what I say." I said softly.

"Wh-I-can-yo-Al!" She started cutting out and my ear was filled with static noise.

"Bella? _Bella_?! Bella!!"

Then the line went dead.

**A/N: Oohh!! I love cliffies! ...sucks for you though since I already know what's going to happen next haha :P**

**-**

**Alright everybody, about my updating...or lack there of, I am just entirely too busy to update every week like I would like to. I can't promise when I will update next, but it won't be that long. I can assure you that I won't go a month without posting a new chapter but sometimes I might be able to post two chapters in one week and sometimes I may only be able to post one chapter in the span of two weeks, so who knows. Just stick with me, I'm not going to put this story on hiatus or leave you hanging :)**

**-**

**Moving on...Favorite?**

**"Bella? _Bella_?! Bella!!"**

**Then the line went dead.**

**I just feel its really intense and I really, really like it :) ...no pun intended lol**

**Next chapter we're back to BPOV :)**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow!! (www . twitter . com / lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	8. They're Coming For Me

**A/N: OMG! Who has super-speedy updating skills? EMELEIGH! That's who! :)**

**...as much fun as it was writing in different pov's i _really_ missed Bella, so I'm a really big fan of this chapter :) **

BPOV

_Previously…_

_"Bella? Bella?! Bella!!"_

_Then the line went dead._

-:-:-

_Five hours earlier_

"Try not to miss me too much B!" Emmett rubbed the top of my head, thoroughly messing up my hair.

"It won't be too hard…" I muttered.

He just laughed as he grabbed the rest of his bags and the infamous 'don't touch my buns' apron.

"So you're taking that with you, huh?" I snickered.

"Oh yeah!" he wiggled his eyebrows and exited the apartment.

I fell onto the back of the couch, not knowing what to do with myself. I said goodbye to Jasper earlier this morning before he left for class because he wanted to get to Ellensburg as early as possible and planned to be halfway there by the time my lecture was over.

...But it took me _forever_ to get Emmett out! He kept fussing over what he should wear when he sees Rosalie for the first time in however long. He was going to go the dressy route with jeans a button up, but when I noticed the old 'I Love RH' t-shirt sticking out of his drawer I knew Rose would love to see him in that. Then I had to convince Emmett it looked sexy on him and make sure he packed everything he needed. I'm pretty sure I checked his bags four or five times to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

I made both of the boys promise to text me once they got to their destination, or at least when they were close so I knew they didn't get pulled over for speeding, or got in a wreck, or something stupid like that. Lord knows those boys weren't planning on driving the actual speed limit the whole way there.

But I knew that I probably wouldn't be receiving a message from neither Emmett nor Jasper. If I was them I wouldn't have texted me either, I would be too preoccupied with getting to see the one person that forced me to speed down the interstate to get to them in the first place.

Sadly, that wouldn't be me though. I was stuck here for the entire weekend alone. Don't get me wrong, I probably wouldn't be _alone_, alone for the two days, but I would be missing the people I wanted to see most.

Without Edward, I had become oddly attached to Emmett and Jasper, not in a romantic way, but more along the lines of sisterly love. I guess my reasoning was that since I couldn't have the real thing, two boys who shared the same blood as the love of my life were the next best option. It also helped that those two guys were connected to my best friends. Once I started to think about it, Emmett, Jasper, and I really did have the best situation amongst the six of us.

We were able to lean on each other when it got rough and we had the support and familiarity of our old lives. Alice, Rose, and Edward were all alone. They had to start completely new.

I shook my head of all the thoughts swirling around in my head. I couldn't allow myself to think of them. Not when I was by myself and already lonely, even though Emmett probably hadn't even left the parking lot yet.

My spot on the couch was too comfortable for me to get up, and I didn't want to just sit in the quiet, so I scanned the view in front of me for the remote to the TV. I didn't see it, so I felt around in the cushions and finally dug it out from under a spoon and some popcorn.

_Gotta love living with guys…_

I flipped on the television and surfed the channels, nothing was on so I settled for the QVC network. They were selling some ugly iguana bracelets that were apparently 'selling like hot cakes!'

I rolled my eyes. _Puh-leeze! It was iguanas on a bracelet! Who would want to wear a reptile on their wrist?!_

"Our next item today will feature the designer Emilaronti Franco and his limited edition, faux ostrich totes." The announcer lady said in awe like they were the best thing since sliced bread.

"Oh come on, ostrich totes?! You' have _got_ to be kidding me…" I yelled at the TV, turned the power off, and threw the remote on the floor. Who knew anyone could get this frustrated over home shopping?

_I need to get out…_

I grabbed my jacket, stuck my phone and keys in my pocket, and went out the door. It was drizzling a little so I flipped my hood up and trudged across campus to my old dorm building.

I checked the rec room first and didn't find anyone down there, so I headed up to Kate and Irina's room.

I peeked around the corner first to make sure Jane wasn't in the hallway and quickly sprinted over to the twins' door and knocked.

Irina cracked it open a little before letting it open all the way, "Oh, its just you." She sighed.

I walked in and shut the door behind me, "Who else were you expecting?"

"Jane has been acting kind of funny today. Something about having a bad feeling that something scary will happen to someone she knows tonight and that I should be extra cautious." Irina rolled her eyes and laughed, "She's stopped by a couple of times today, just to 'check in' on me, so I guess she's pretty serious about the whole thing, but she just gives me the heebie-jeebies, ya know?"

I nodded in understanding and sat down beside her, "So what are your plans for tonight?"

"Big fun for me, Kate and Garrett are out for the rest of the night doing who knows what so I have no plans at all."

It was like a light bulb flashed atop my head, "I have some plans…if you'd like to join me."

She looked wearily at me, "I don't know if I like the sound of that…"

"Oh it will be fun! Come on, you are going to love me after this!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her all the way back to the apartments. It started to rain a little harder once we got outside, so our jackets were soaked and we quickly shed them once we entered the front doors.

"Hey, its B!" I heard a loud, cheery voice call from above me.

I looked up and saw Jacob leaning over the railing. _Just who I was looking for…_ "Hey J! Do you and J have anything to do tonight?"

"Nope. J & J are just going with the flow tonight, why? You wanna hang out?"

"Yup." I smiled and pulled Irina up the steps with me.

We met Jacob on the first landing and I introduced him to Irina, "J, this is Irina, so I guess you would call her 'I'. And Irina, this is Jacob, but he likes to be called 'J'."

"Whoa! Good thing we decided to call you B, _Isa_bella, because it would have gotten confusing with two 'I's'" he laughed.

"So…wait, I'm 'I' now?"

Jake just nodded and led us to his apartment.

"It's a whole big first initial, nickname thing, just go with it." I whispered to her.

I was trying to reign in my excitement but it was starting to bubble to the surface.

"J can hang out with us too, right?" I asked slyly.

"Yeah, he's just imprinting his butt in the couch cushions right now, so I'm sure he'll be up for anything."

Right on cue as we walked into J & J's apartment, Irina asked, "Who's J? …well besides Jacob."

"Irina, I'd like you to meet Jared. Jared, this is my friend Irina." My smile grew ten times bigger as they locked in on each other and Irina's face got a tinge of pink.

"So J and me decided she should be 'I' for Irina." I beamed.

"Yeah, I like that. I'm the second J, it gets a little confusing when you add Jacob and Jasper into the mix, so you can just call me Jared if you want…" he offered awkwardly.

"Well, I'll have to take you up on that offer _Jared_, I like that better than just 'J'. And you can call me Irina if you like…" she giggled.

I was freaking basking in my success. I had never been much of a matchmaker, but I had really done a number with Irina and Jared. _I _so_ better be invited to their wedding…_

"Think they've forgotten we're in the room yet?" Jacob whispered in my ear as we watched Jared and Irina never take their eyes off one another.

"I think its safe to say we're pretty much invisible now." I snickered.

-:-:-

_Four hours earlier_

After the initial excitement from my abilities as a female cupid wore off, the four of us sat around J & J's apartment trying to figure out what to do.

"Well this would be a lot easier if it wasn't storming outside…" I huffed.

"So that means we have to find something to do in the building." Jacob said stating the obvious.

"Anyone up for a round of ding-dong ditch?" Jared offered.

"What are we, 6th graders?" Irina laughed, and Jared immediately changed his mind about the idea, "_Pshh!_ That was a joke, of course we're too old for that!"

"And because last time, Jared got in trouble with the Dorm Advisor for being a public disturbance." Jacob chuckled.

Jared glared at Jacob and turned fire engine red since he was now getting embarrassed in front of Irina.

"Okay! We need to figure out what to do, I'm dying of boredom here!" I said breaking the tension filled silence.

"Hide and seek?" Irina said suddenly.

"And you said we were too old for ding dong ditch?" Jared scoffed.

"Well its harder when you use the whole building!" she argued back.

_Aw, look at those two fighting like they're in a relationship already…I'm so proud!_

"Hide and seek it is!" Jacob declared.

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

"Not…crap!" Apparently Jared didn't have very quick reflexes...

We split up after going over the rules. We decided that you were only able to hide from the second floor down and once you were seeked that was it, no having to catch the person and the whole thing turning into a big game of tag. The hiders who had already been found were not allowed to help the seeker, but could walk around with them as they tried to find the other players (this was more for Jared and Irina's benefit). And last, you were not allowed to hide in another apartment.

Jacob, Irina, and I agreed to all hide on different floors so that way it was harder for Jared. Irina was on the second floor, Jacob was on first, and I was supposed to hide on the main level.

I quickly sprinted down the stairs, only tripping once, and looked around frantically for a good spot. I only had sixty seconds, and knowing Jared he probably wasn't going to count mississippily.

I ended up huddled behind a large trashcan by the mailboxes.

_BZ! BZ! BZ!_

I fought with my pocket for my phone frantically before anyone could hear it going off.

**_Hey. Residency sucks. I miss you. –E_**

I heard some footsteps shuffle down the stairs along with a female voice, so I quickly typed Edward a reply and shoved the phone back in my pocket.

**_Hold that thought. Being seeked, txt you bck in a sec :) –B_**

"Bellaaa…Jacobbb…" Jared whispered creepily.

I heard a small smack, "That's just disturbing, stop." Irina laughed.

I had my eyes trained on the floor near the opening between the trashcan and the wall. Jared's shoe came into the picture and I jumped a little.

_BZ! BZ! BZ!_

"What was that?!" Jared said quietly as he turned on his heel towards the opposite direction.

"I didn't hear anything…" Irina said innocently.

_BZ! BZ! BZ!_

"There it was again!"

"Nope. Didn't hear it." Irina giggled.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…" Jared sang.

_BZ! BZ! BZ!_

Jared turned back to my direction and stalked forward. I dove my hand into my pocket and yanked the traitor device out as fast and quietly as I could.

**Lol ok… -E**

_Damnit Edward! I don't care if you laughed out loud, I'm trying to win a game here!_

I made the 'Shh!' motion to my phone, like it could actually see me, before sliding it back in my pocket…again.

Then all of the sudden the huge trashcan I was leaning against moved from in front of me and I had to catch myself before smacking my head on the floor.

"Gotcha!" Jared cheered and added a little victory dance.

"Did he do that when he found you?" I asked Irina as I brushed myself off.

"Yeah…I thought it was kind of cute though…" she whispered dreamily to me.

I just rolled my eyes and followed them to go find Jacob.

**_Thank you Edward! I totally just lost :( –B_**

**_I'm sorry, forgive me? :) –E_**

**_You think I'll just give in that easily? –B_**

_…**I was hoping so –E**_

**_And is there a reason I should give in so quickly? –B_**

**_Because you love me? –E_**

**_You got me there Cullen. I do. :) –B_**

**_Forgiven? –E_**

**_Yes. –B_**

I hadn't even realized where we were and just when I looked up from my phone, Jared opened the door to the trash chute and found Jacob pressed up against the wall, trying not to fall in.

We walked back to my apartment since it was closest and decided to play some of Emmett and Jasper's video games.

Jacob and Jared were setting up all four controllers for _Halo_ while Irina and I got some snacks from the kitchen.

_BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!_

"Hey. How's your first residency?" I smiled as I answered the phone.

"Okay. I was a little disappointed though because I wanted to come visit you this weekend…" he pouted.

"Really? You never told me that…" I pouted as well.

"Well I didn't want to say I was planning on coming and then get you all disappointed when I couldn't."

"Its okay. Anything interesting happen at the hospital yet?" I asked, trying to lighten the conversation.

"Not really, all of the nurses said it was the slowest they've ever seen it, but a kid did come in with a Barbie doll shoe stuck in her ear _and_ they gave me a pager." He said happily.

"Oooh, a pager! Do you feel all professional now?" I teased.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." He chuckled back, "So what are you doing now, since I'm guessing your game is over?"

"I'm getting ready to whoop butt with Irina against Jared and Jacob in some Halo!" I said enthusiastically as I high-fived Irina.

"Oh, they don't stand a chance. Emmett told me about his lessons with you." Edward chuckled again. Emmett had decided that his new sister _had_ to know how to play Halo, so every Sunday morning and evening we had little sessions where Emmett taught me how to play the game and then he would make me challenge Jasper. Apparently I was getting pretty good.

Jared waved us over, letting us know everything was set up, so I said a quick goodbye to Edward and prepared for total domination.

-:-:-

_Three hours earlier_

"I. Can't. Believe. This!" Jacob growled as he dropped his controller and stared at the TV.

"Believe it man, I rock." I smiled proudly. I made a mental note to tell Emmett about my victory when he got back Sunday night.

It turned into Jacob versus me because Irina didn't know how to play and Jared took the opportunity to get a little flirty with my friend and started teaching her.

"How did you do that?" Jacob asked, his jaw still hanging on the floor.

"E taught me, of course." I laughed.

"Well if you had told me that earlier I might have been prepared!" he flung his hands in the air dramatically.

"Why? Is Emmett good or something?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Are you kidding?! He's the freaking Halo God!"

"Its true." Jared agreed.

"I want a rematch B. No way has anyone but Emmett ever beat me at Halo!"

"Fine, if you want to be crushed…again." I snickered.

-:-:-

_Two hours earlier_

I ended up beating Jacob two more times out of our grand total of five rounds. Even though I lost two, I still felt the need to gloat in his face.

"Who was it that just killed you like two hundred and seventy seven times? Oh yeah…me!" I sang as I got up to get a glass of water.

"Next Friday, you, me, same place, same time. Be there or be square B!" Jacob growled as he exited the apartment.

"Where's he going?" I asked Jared.

"He's probably going to practice. You just awakened a beast B. Jacob doesn't like to lose…" he laughed hysterically.

"Well, he can bring it. I'll still be victorious!" I said pounding my fist in the air.

I sent a quick text to Edward, letting him know the outcome of the game and he was very proud of me as well.

Jared left shortly after Jacob did, so Irina and I settled in for some much needed girl talk.

"So? Do you love me or what?" I snickered.

"Yes, yes I do! Thank you so much! I don't think I would have had the nerve to approach him any other way."

"You are more than welcome. I'm just so excited for you! Jared is totally and completely yours now, whether you both realize it or not." I smirked.

"You think? I really like him and I think he was sending me signals back. He gave me his number and everything too…" she trailed off.

"Ahh! No way!?"

"Yes way!!" She scrolled through her contacts until she landed on Jared's number and showed it to me.

We squealed like teenage girls over how amazing her and Jared were for each other until Kate and Garrett came over looking for Irina.

I said goodnight and flipped back on the TV, settling for a decent looking lifetime movie.

-:-:-

_One hour earlier_

I was just to the part where the woman realizes it was her old best friend that was sending her love letters when a big clap of thunder roared and the sky lit up.

The lights flickered for a moment before going completely out and it was eerily quiet.

I flipped open my cell phone to shed a little light around the room and searched for a flashlight.

I finally found one in the drawer by the fridge and clicked it on. Then I padded to my room in search for a few candles to light up the living room a little more.

I could hear the rain pounding on the windows and every now and then another round of thunder and lightning would roll by. It didn't really freak me out too much, I liked thunderstorms.

I grabbed a few candles and set them on the kitchen counter when I realized I had no matches or a lighter.

I decided to rummage through Emmett's room for those, he would probably have some handy for one of his many pranks, or for the fireworks he had stashed under his bed. I mean it was Emmett we were talking about, _of course_ he had a good supply of matches!

I found them in record time in a separate box under his bed near the fireworks, it was almost too easy.

After the candles were lit, I looked around and realized things were even duller without electricity.

Not really feeling like reading a book, I just sat on the couch and watched the wax melt off the candles. I thought about heading off to bed, but it was only about ten o'clock.

That's when I heard it.

_Click…Click-Clack…Clackity-Click-Clack-Clack._

My eyes focused in on the far left window. It was quiet for a few more seconds before the noises started up again.

_Click…Click-Click-Clack…Clack!_

Someone was throwing rocks at my window. The last one left a little chip in it so I marched up to it to see who the stupid idiot out in a thunderstorm, throwing unneeded rocks at my window was.

The rain was too heavy to see anything, but I could make out the movements of a figure below. It was too big to be a girl, so it was definitely a guy.

_Moron…_

I went back to the couch and tried to drown out all the little pebbles hitting my window with some show tunes.

"I'll be there for youuuu, when the rain starts to fall. I'll be there for youuuuu, like I been there before…" _Clickity-Clack…Click!_ "You get the beeeeest of both worlds. Chill it out take it slow, then you rock out the show…" _Click-Click-Click_ "Whoooo are you? Who, who? Who, who?"_ Click-Click-Click-Clickity-Click!_

"Oh for the love of all that is holy!_ Please_ stop!" I yelled towards the window.

Then it stopped. Just like that.

I should have probably wondered why, but I was too relieved to care.

I laid back on the couch and closed my eyes, having nothing better to do.

I could hear the noises of my upstairs neighbors walking around, and a heavy pair of wet, squeaky feet trudging up the stairs.

They were getting closer and closer until they stopped right in front of my door.

_Knock, Knock!_

_………ohhhh shit. They're coming for me._

My breaths became shorter and my heart rate sped up ten times faster than normal. My palms started to sweat and panic set in. I wasn't expecting any visitors. I didn't know who it was. I didn't know what they wanted. I didn't know if they were a good or bad person. I did know they were waiting for someone, namely me, to open that door. And I didn't plan on doing it. I was not prepared to defend off a mysterious and unwanted guest, when I was alone, at 10:30 at night.

I did the only thing that came to mind at the moment. I called Emmett. Even though he was hours away, he was the biggest and scariest person (when he wanted to be) that I knew.

"Come on, come on, pick up!" I whispered into the receiver as the knocks continued, "Hey this is the Em Man! Sorry I'm there to-"

_Crap!_

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!_

They knocks kept getting louder and what seemed like more aggressive as each one sent a wave of fear down my spine.

-:-:-

_Present Time_

I tried Rosalie next, but got nothing. Going down the list of important people in my head, I landed on Alice, she was sure to be with Jasper as well.

It rang several times and I didn't think I would get an answer, but then..."Hello?"

"Alice!" I breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice, "Someone is _here_!!" I whispered in fear of the person on the outside of the door being able to hear me.

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Whoever it was on the other side did not sound happy…"Someone is at the apartment! Alice, what do I do?!"

"Ok-Bell-cal-down-what-say." she started breaking in an out. I clutched my chest to keep from hyperventilating, but I was totally freaking out at this point.

"What?! I can't hear you Alice! Alice! Alice please answer me!!" I sobbed, still trying to keep my volume down.

Then the line went dead.

I started shaking, feeling entirely alone and scared at the moment. The phone fell out of my hand and I scrambled to pick it back up as another clap of thunder boomed and the lightning lit up the apartment.

I shakily punched in Jacob's number but the line wouldn't connect. I must have tried about ten times before giving up.

"Bellaaaa!" A raspy voice spoke through the wood and started knocking again."Bella! Open up!" he spoke gruffly.

_Okay, whoever this is knows me. I don't know who or how or why they are even here, but there could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this…or not._

I gulped and slowly eased myself off the couch and tip toed to Jasper's room. I found his Louisville Slugger and raised it in attack mode.

Creeping up to the door I silently cursed whoever built this building for not installing peepholes.

My left hand hesitantly reached out to the doorknob and I turned it ever so slowly…I eased up my choke on the bat so I could get in a good swing and then flung the door open.

"AHHHHHH!!" I reared back for momentum.

"Oh shit! Don't swing Bella!!" The raspy voice pleaded.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I gasped, dropping the bat and crumbling to the floor.

"Surprise?" Edward offered sweetly.

My right hand was clutching my chest again and I had to take in multiple deep breaths to try and slow my heart down.

_Man! Getting the shit scared out of you really wipes you out._

"Bella…are you okay?" Edward knelt down beside me and ran his hand over my cheek, wiping away the tears I had shed from being so scared.

"Oh, Edward…don't you _EVER_ do that again!" I slapped the back of his head and he winced, "Do you know how utterly terrified I was? Here I am, all alone, and some creep starts throwing rocks at my window, which by the way, how did you know what window was mine? Anyway, then I go to see who the stupid idiot is that's walking around in this storm and the rain is so heavy I can only tell it's a guy. After that, said guy comes to my door and starts banging on it, demanding me to open it in a voice that can only be found in horror films! When the whole time I'm in here scared for my life, probably gave Alice a heart attack from the phone call she received, and its just you the entire time!" I huffed and started laughing the more I thought about it.

Soon I was rolling around on the floor, grasping my sides because they hurt so bad from my laughing fit.

Edward just stared at me like I belong in the loony bin.

_Hey…wait a second…Edward. He's here. And he's like_ a foot _away from me._

Suddenly my laughing ceased and I pulled myself off the floor and into Edward's arms, crying for the second time tonight, "Oh my god! You're here, _actually here_, holding me, hugging me, I can smell you, and see you, and you're here!!"

"I am, finally." He breathed.

I couldn't take it any longer, I pulled his head towards mine and our lips fused together. I took in one deep breath, his scent washing over me and feeling like for the first time in I don't know how long, I could breath. Truly breath and feel alive.

**A/N: Okay, so even though I tried to convince some of you it really wasn't going to be Edward we all knew it would be... :P**

**Did the ExB reunion live up to your expectations???**

**-**

**Favorite?**

**"AHHHHHH!!" I reared back for momentum.  
****"Oh shit! Don't swing Bella!!" The raspy voice pleaded.  
****"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I gasped, dropping the bat and crumbling to the floor.  
****"Surprise?" Edward offered sweetly.**

**...you all can't honestly tell me you didn't picture Rpatz in your head, pleading for tiny Kristen with a baseball bat hovering over her head, to not hurt him...lol**

**-**

**EPOV on the whole fiasco next!! :)**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow!! (www . twitter . com / lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	9. Surprise?

**A/N: Hey :) Its here!**

EPOV

_I'm cold, wet, and the rain has seeped in through my shoes and socks. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…_

I had just spent the last four hours racing halfway across Washington to get to Bella and now I couldn't get in her stupid building.

I hadn't even known I would be visiting her until a half hour before I left. My residency advisor let me leave early since there wasn't much going on at the hospital and told me that I wasn't going to be needed the rest of the weekend. After hearing this I decided that I was going to surprise Bella and show up on her doorstep. So far things weren't going the way I had envisioned them.

I was standing out in the pounding rain, hoping I was throwing rocks at the right person's window. From what Bella had told me, she was on the second floor and the view from her windows was the parking lot, which is where I was. So by process of elimination, this had to be her window.

Suddenly I saw a shadow move in front of the window and I hoped to god it was her.

"BELLAAA!!" I yelled, "BELLA!! COME OPEN THE FRONT DOOR!!"

The shadow stood there for a few more seconds before disappearing again.

_Okay…so maybe that wasn't her…_

Nevertheless, I kept chucking little pebbles towards the window in hopes that someone would let me in. It didn't help that my phone was now water logged from trying to call her earlier, because if it wasn't I wouldn't have to do all this mess.

"BELLA!! BELLA!! BELLAAAA!!" I kept hollering, wishing someone might hear me.

"Hey man, what are you doing out here?" A college student asked as he peered out the front door.

"Oh you know, just out for a stroll this evening since the weather is so nice…" I muttered sarcastically.

"Dude, you're freaking crazy, get in here. Its terrible outside!" He laughed.

I looked up at the sky and then back at him, "Oh! I didn't notice it was raining!" I huffed dramatically and walked inside.

"Rough night man?" The guy continued to laugh.

"Yes. Do you know which apartment Bella Swan lives in?"

"Bella…hmm…is she new to the building?" he asked rubbing his chin as he thought about it.

"Yeah, she just moved in with two other guys."

"A big one and a blonde one?"

"Yes!" I said excitedly.

"Apartment 201." I didn't stay any longer and dashed up the stairs.

Her apartment was fairly easy to locate, being the first one in the hallway. I placed myself in front of it and took a deep breath to mentally prepare myself. Bella was on the other side of this door and it took all that I had to not burst it down this very moment.

_Knock, Knock._

I waited a few second and didn't hear any movement so I tried again, a little louder this time in case she was asleep or something and just didn't hear me the first time.

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!_

Still nothing, so I knocked even louder.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Then ever so faintly, I heard some shuffling and a small voice from inside.

I kept up with my knocking until my hand started to hurt.

"Bellaaaa!" I called, "Bella! Open up!"

She must have finally heard me, because I could hear footsteps and floors creaking as she got closer to the door.

The knob on the door slowly turned, so I stepped back in the perfect position to scoop her up in my arms.

The door flung open and Bella had a baseball bat swung back, getting ready to hit me, "AHHHH!" she screamed.

"Oh shit! Don't swing, Bella!" I held my hands up in surrender mode.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" she gasped and dropped the bat as she fell to the floor.

"Surprise?" It came out as more of a question…

She was breathing heavily and her hands were shaking, I knelt down beside her and wiped away the tears sitting on her cheeks, "Bella…are you okay?"

She smacked the back of my head and proceeded to tell me about how she thought I was some creeper that was coming after her. I thought back to everything I had done and I could see where she was coming from, I had the gruff voice, I was banging on her door, she didn't know it was me.

Then surprisingly, Bella toppled over and went into a fit of hysterical laughter. I couldn't understand why she was laughing, but before I could think about it for too long, she stopped.

She pushed off the floor and jumped into my arms, "Oh my god! You're here, actually here, holding me, hugging me, I can smell you, and see you, and you're here!!"

"I am, finally." I smiled and squeezed her tighter, refusing to let go anytime soon.

She fisted her hands in my hair and forced her lips onto mine. I willingly let her have her way with me until we were interrupted by voices hollering from the hallway.

"B! B! B, are you alright?!" Two big guys came barreling into her apartment, wielding a frying pan and an Xbox controller.

"I'm fine." She giggled and stood up, pulling me with her.

"What was all the screaming about then?" The bigger one with the Xbox controller asked while flailing it around dramatically.

"It was just a big misunderstanding." She sighed, "Edward, this is Jared and Jacob, also known as J & J. J & J, this is my Edward." She motioned to each of us and I smiled when she called me _her_ Edward. It had been too long since I had heard those words without her unphone-tainted voice.

Realization struck me and I remembered Emmett and Jasper going on and on about two J's they met their freshman year and them also being the boys Bella just whooped at Halo a few hours ago. I'm guessing the sore loser, Jacob, was the one occupying the game controller and Jared was the one with the pan.

We all shook hands and promised to make better first impressions later. Bella shut the door behind them and pulled me towards the couch.

She took in a shaky breath and released it, "Okay, so do you want to explain yourself mister?" she smirked.

I went into the whole story about getting off early and speeding the whole way here, how I couldn't have called because my phone was ruined, all the way to how my voice got so creepy because of all the yelling I did to try and get her attention from outside.

"Well, now that I know I'm not going to get murdered, I'm very happy to see you." She smiled against my lips and gave me a quick peck.

The lights flickered back on and the apartment's answering machine started talking, "You have eleven new messages." Then the phone started ringing.

Bella covered her face with her hands and fell down backwards against the cushions, "This is all your fault, you can calm Alice back down."

I chuckled and picked up the phone, "Hello?"

She sucked in a breath, but then started yelling, "Whoever this is, you leave my friend alone!! I'm sure she hasn't done anything to you and she doesn't deserve to get murdered or kidnapped or whatever you plan on doing to her!!"

I could hear Jasper's voice in the background trying to figure out what was going on, "Alice, it's Edward! No one is after Bella, it's just me!" I tried to holler over her shrill voice.

"Edward?! What are you doing there?!"

"I came to surprise Bella, but my plan kind of back fired on me…" I said flatly.

"I'll say!" she snorted, "You nearly gave her a heart attack! Not to mention me and Jazz not knowing what the hell was going on, Bella starts crying and carrying on about someone at her apartment and then the line cuts off! What is going on over there?!"

"There was a big storm, it's died down now, but the power was also out and Bella hasn't had any reception on her cell phone for the last hour, so that explains why you couldn't get a hold of her."

I went into the whole thing again and gave Alice the play by play of both sides of the story. Then she demanded to talk to Bella, who assured her many times she was okay. Then Jasper of course had to have his turn, so we both talked to him and then we said goodbye because he wanted to call and thank J & J for looking out for Bella.

I set the phone back on its cradle and crawled onto the couch. We were finally alone and together and I was unbelievably happy.

-:-:-

I woke up the next morning in the most uncomfortable position in the world. For some reason, Bella and I decided sleeping on the couch was a good idea. I was on the outside edge, barely hanging on while Bella was smashed in between myself and the back of the couch. My legs were hanging off the edge and Bella's knee was digging into my thigh.

I moved my legs in search of the floor, but ended up throwing myself off balance and toppling onto the ground.

_THUD!_

I stilled my movements and peeked over at Bella to make sure I hadn't woken her up, she was still sound asleep and had taken advantage of the new amount of space vacant on the couch.

I chuckled and got to my feet before scooping her up in my arms and towards her bedroom. There were four doors and I had no idea which one was hers. The first room I tried was messy beyond belief and covered in basketball posters, Emmett's for sure. Then I entered a room which was a little more organized but still pretty disorganized and a picture of Alice was perched on the nightstand, Jasper's room. Next I discovered the bathroom, which was shockingly tidy. _I guess living with a girl will do that to you…_

Finally I kicked open the last door and found Bella's rooms decked out in Blue and lime green. She had pictures hung up everywhere. Pictures of her, Rose, and Alice when they were younger, her parents, some recent ones of her, Emmett, and Jasper acting goofy, and I was thrilled to notice that a good portion occupied me. I gently lowered Bella to the bed and pulled the covers around her before I went to investigate further.

There was a picture from this past summer when the six of us went rummaging through our attics and found the some of the craziest outfits ever, graduation, prom, and then I came across a picture where Bella had her phone pressed against her ear and Emmett was laughing as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

_Oh my god, they took a picture of that?!_

I looked around the room a little more and then decided to go get my bags from the car.

When I got back Bella was fumbling around in the kitchen, "Hey! I thought you decided to leave early. When I woke up and you were gone."

I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, "Nah, I thought about it…but figured you be crushed if I left."

"Hmm…I see." She rested her head on my chest and pulled me closer, "I'm not gonna lie, I would be." She laughed.

"Well it's a good thing I decided to stay…" I smiled and kissed her forehead.

We spent the morning eating our cereal on the couch and watching Saturday morning cartoons. It reminded me of how simple things used to be before this whole college mess happened and I missed it.

Bella was tucked into my side, her legs resting on top of my knees. I had my left arm around her shoulders and my right hand played with her fingers in her lap as she weaved them together. The back of her head laid against my shoulder and I rested my cheek on top.

Then Bella decided she wanted to show me around campus so I took my bags to her room in search for some clean clothes.

As I was pulling things out of my bag I forgot she didn't know I had her sweatshirt, "Where did you get this?" she asked as she snatched it from my grasp.

"You left it in my car from when we drove down here and I may have… wornitacoupletimes…" I mumbled through the last part.

"You did what Edward?" she asked poking me in the sides.

"Wore…it." I said slowly.

"Really?"

"Really, really. It smelled like you." I shrugged and started going through my bag again.

"That's sweet Edward." She said simply and gave me a small kiss, "But that's not very fair. I don't have anything of yours."

"Which is why I thought you would be interested in trading…" I trailed off and pulled out a few sweatshirts and t-shirts of mine I knew were her favorite.

Bella quickly decided she was going to take all of them and then allowed me to go through her closet and grab anything that would actually fit.

We walked around her campus and she took me to the bookstore where Emmett got hit on by the cashier girl, the smoothie place where she and Jasper had their 'date,' the rec room with the ugly chairs that she sat in the first night she called me, and then we went up to her old floor in the dorms.

She walked up to one of the doors and knocked three times. No one answered, but the door directly behind us opened.

"They went out for breakfast with that boy toy of Kate's." A monotone voice said.

Bella and I turned around, "He's not a boy toy, _Jane_. Garrett is Kate's boyfriend, they're in a relationship."

_Oh. So this is Jane._

"Whatever…speaking of boy toys, who is this?" Jane quirked an eyebrow at me.

Bella huffed and motioned lazily between Jane and myself "Jane, this is my boyfriend Edward. Edward, I've told you about my old roommate Jane."

I gave her a polite smile and shook her hand. She didn't seem too bad.

"Edward…?" She trailed off, leaving an invitation to clue her in on my last name.

"Cullen, Edward Cullen." Our handshake abruptly halted and we were just standing in the hallway holding hands.

_Awkward…_

"Bella, where is it you said your boyfriend went to school?" she asked, completely ignoring my presence now.

"University of Washington."

Jane looked at Bella, and then shifted her eyes to my face, then our clasped hands, and lastly inside her room. She completed this circuit three more times before finally letting go.

"Just one moment." She held up a finger and disappeared into the room.

Bella looked at me and jerked her head towards the stairs, silently pleading with me to sneak away. I shook my head; I wanted to know what Jane was doing.

Seconds later, Jane reappeared with a phone attached to her ear, "Yes……Uh-huh…..Here……Yes!…..Yeah, why?….."

She sighed and handed the phone off to Bella who looked just as confused as me.

"Hello?…..Why do you want to know?…..Who is this?…..You what?!…..No, I've never heard about you…..Ah, I see." She smirked and offered the phone to me, "Its for you."

"Hello?" I asked timidly.

"Cats out of the bag man. They know we're buddies. Sorry." Alec chuckled.

"Well they were bound to find out some time." I laughed half-heartily. Bella's smirk had morphed into tight line as she and Jane stared each other down.

"Do you think we're in trouble for keeping our friendship a secret?"

"Definitely." I replied, still staring in awe at the obvious glaredown going on between the two girls.

-:-:-

"But how could you keep this from me?!" Bella stomped her foot and quickened her pace.

"Seriously Bell? Did you just stomp your foot?"

No answer.

"I thought girls only did that on TV…" I mused.

No answer again, but I did receive a stink eye. That's progress.

"So you're not talking to me?" I taunted her, "Giving me the silent treatment?"

Another stink eye.

"Alec and I agreed to keep our little friendship a secret since we both knew how much you girls hated each other." I relented.

"Of _all_ the people at UOW you had to pick the one guy linked to Jane? _Insane_ _Jane_?!"

"I didn't know at the time."

"So how did this bromance blossom?" she asked as her apartment building came into view.

"Over pizza and basketball." I shrugged.

"Is he as weird or weirder than Jane?" she asked with honest curiosity.

"He's very normal actually. Truthfully, I don't know how those two even got together." I snickered.

-:-:-

The weekend flew by and before I knew it and it was already Sunday afternoon.

"You have to go back tonight don't you?" Bella pouted.

"Actually no." I replied shortly.

"No?"

"No." I smiled to myself when I noticed her getting irritated with my not so detailed answers to her questions.

"What do you mean 'no' Edward?"

I took two steps over towards her and snaked my arms around her waist, "I mean that I don't have to leave tonight."

"Why?"

"I don't have class until Tuesday at noon. I don't have to leave until tomorrow or if I get up early enough, Tuesday morning." I smiled widely.

"No way!" she gasped.

"Way!" I mocked back.

Bella then proceeded to do a funny little happy dance around her living room. It was cute and all until she slipped on the rug and flung backwards, butt first, into one of the beanbags. Then it was hilarious.

I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stand up any longer and dropped to the floor.

"Edward shut up! This is _so_ not funny!" She tried to hide her laughter, but I could hear the squeal in her voice.

Before I could disagree with her, the front door opened and in walked my older brother.

"What is going on in here?! I could hear you guys clear down on the first floor!" Jasper complained.

"Bella…dance…fell…BEANBAG!" I wheezed through my laughter.

"Okay, so Bella was doing a dance and fell into the beanbag. I can see how you would get a good laugh out of that, but not one that would leave you rolling around on the floor…"

"Thank you Jasper!" Bella yelled, still sunken in the beanbag.

"Oh, but it was Jazz! You should have seen her." A few little bursts of laughter escaped my lips as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry to have missed it then…" He looked between the two of us and then walked back towards his room muttering something about his 'weirdo family.'

I pushed myself off the floor, in a playfuly mood, and hurled my body on top of Bella, squishing her.

"AAHH!! Efwthard, gefft off! JTHASPHER! You're bruffer ith thattacking me!" her pleas were muffled due to the fact that her mouth was pressed into my shirt.

Jasper entered the room again, took one look at us, rolled his eyes, and disappeared back into his room.

"Looks like you're on your own." I smirked.

"UGHHHHH!!" Her garbled voice groaned in frustration.

"Honeyyy I'm ho-omeeee!" Emmett sang as he waltzed in the door.

"EMMEFF!! Hethlp!" Bella freed her arms from my grasp and started flailing them around.

"Eddie? You aren't supposed to be here…" He dropped his bags and looked at me like I had a tooth growing out of my ear and a tail, "Does Bella know you're here?"

"UGHHHHH!!" She finally gave up and went limp from underneath me.

Emmett finally heard her and strutted over to us with curiosity, "B?"

"Yeth??" she answered him, agitated.

"Got yourself in a little predicament, eh?" he chuckled.

Silence.

"I think you killed her, dude." Emmett actually looked worried for a split second before Bella flipped him off.

I maneuvered around so Bella's head was free and she could talk, "Is anyone going to help me?"

"Well, first I want to know how you two got yourself in this situation." He eyed us suspiciously.

"Bella fell, Edward laughed, I got back, both of them told me about the fall, I leave, hear squeals followed by a muffled holler of my name, come back to find Edward pinning Bella down, I leave again, you come in the door, and here we all are." I hadn't even noticed Jasper re-enter the room…

"Hmm, I see." Emmett rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, "Well I would love to help you out B, but you know I can never pass up a good DOG PILE!!" Emmett boomed before flying through the air and landing square on my back.

"Uhhhhh…" Bella and I groaned at the added weight.

"Come on Jazz!" Emmett smiled.

Jasper cracked a huge grin before climbing up and sitting on top of Emmett.

"How is that I am always the one getting squished?" Bella whined.

"Quit your complaining Bells, you know you like the Cullen lovin'." Jasper teased.

Then I felt two large arms wrap around me, "Speaking of Cullen lovin', its good to have you back bro." Emmett sighed.

"Awww!" Bella cooed from underneath me and then threw her arms around me as well.

"You three girls have fun with your love fest, I'm gonna go…uh…hammer up some drywall like a man!" Jasper grunted.

"Aw, Jasper! Get in here, we still have room for one more pair of arms." Bella smiled warmly.

"Oh, alright." He huffed dramatically before draping his arms around Emmett, Bella, and myself.

So what started as a simple dog pile turned into a heartfelt moment between my two brothers and my girlfriend. It was kind of nice until Emmett made it awkward.

"Okay, who just touched my butt?"

**A/N: =]**

**Bare with me guys! I know it was a pretty big gap between chapters, but don't say I didn't warn you!  
MAYBE if you all followed me on twitter *_cough, wink, wink, cough_* you would see that I do try my very hardest to get chapters out ASAP and I leave teasers and all sorts of fun stuff! Plus you can here my random ramblings! Win-Win situation right? ;)**

**-**

**Favorite?**

**It was kind of nice until Emmett made it awkward. **

**"Okay, who just touched my butt?"**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow!! (www . twitter . com / lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	10. I Just Really Want Milk

**A/N: I know, I know, its been forever. But I wanted this chapter to be good because…*drum roll*…its in Emmett's point of view!! :)**

**Finally a peek into that whacked up mind of his :)**

EmPOV!!

_Buh-Beep Buh-Beep Buh-Beep_

My alarm clock joyfully chimed and I peeked one eye open.

_Ah, Mondays…_

I refuse to use the excuse that I'm in a bad mood because it's the beginning of a new week. I say right on!! Mondays should be a day of celebration, not a day of brooding! Who cares if Monday means that the weekend is over? That just means you have five whole days to plan for the next weekend!

_I officially declare every Monday a holiday now._

I flipped onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, wiggling my fingers and toes to get the energy flowing. After I was fully awake, I leaned over the side of my bed and dug around for my phone. I finally found it under a massive pile of dirty clothes.

_Maybe I should do some laundry…_

I quickly dialed my Rosie's number so I could begin the day with her sweet voice like I do every morning.

"Mornin' Em…" she mumbled sleepily into the receiver.

"Happy Monday Rosie!" I said happily.

I heard her yawn and then giggle, "And what is so happy about this Monday?"

"I just decided like five seconds ago that every Monday should be a happy one." I answered truthfully.

"I see. Well, I think it is a great idea Emmie."

"Really?" I asked in a no nonsense tone.

"Really, really!" She giggled again as we made fun of Edward and Bella. She sighed after her laughter subsided, "I have to go get ready. I'll call you after class."

"Okay, love you." I smiled and made kissy noises into the phone.

"Love you too."

I shut my phone and hopped out of bed. The floor was cold, so I had to tip toe all the way to the bathroom.

After doing my business, I was still freezing. I saw Bella's blue robe with little rubber duckies all over it hanging on the back of the door so I quickly shrugged it on and was enveloped with fluffiness and warmth.

I tied the little rope around my waist and padded to the kitchen. I must have stared in the fridge for a good fifteen minutes before I decided a bowl of cereal would do the job. I reached for the milk carton and I noticed it felt a little light when I picked it up.

_Eddie better not have drank all the milk while he was here…_

I poured myself a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and then tipped the carton into the bowl as well. A small stream of the liquid came out and that was it. There was not enough milk to cover my chocolaty goodness.

I thought about waking Eddie up myself so he could go buy me a new carton but then I remembered that would probably wake Bella up too and let's face it, she is not somebody who believes in 'Happy Monday,' or any happy morning for that matter.

Tossing the useless cardboard box in the trash, I tightened the knot on my/Bella's robe and set out on a quest for milk in the building.

First I tried J & J. Being the guys they were, they only had an apple and some moldy cheese in their fridge, so I started knocking on random doors.

I wanted my Cocoa Puffs and so help me, I was going to have them with milk!

Half the people didn't even open their doors. I guess that was understandable, seeing that it was 6:30 in the morning, but I was getting more frustrated by the second.

_Stupid Edward._

The other half of the people who did open their doors didn't have milk. I found this utterly unbelievable and told them so. _Who doesn't keep milk in their fridge?!_

I realized that I would probably have to go out and buy some so I ran back to my apartment, slipped on some flip-flops, grabbed my wallet and keys, and dashed out the door.

By the time I made it over to the school store they were thankfully open and I marched right in and headed straight for the refrigerated section. I was going so fast, that on my way over I accidentally plowed over a girl.

"Oh crap!" I grabbed her shoulders and set her back on her feet, "Sorry, I just really want milk." I chuckled, motioning to the dairy products.

"No, I'm fine…" she said wistfully.

I glanced down at her face and stifled a laugh. It was the cashier from the bookstore.

"Uhm…yeah! So you're good?" I patted her shoulders for any signs of injury.

"Mmhmm…never better…" she sighed and I felt her knees go weak.

I tried to stand her back up but the girl was like a wet noodle! I looked at the milk and thought about my abandoned cereal just sitting on the counter, waiting for that cool, refreshing beverage to mix with so I could have my yummy breakfast. Then I looked back down at the girl who had her eyes closed, then back to the milk, and to the girl again.

_Which is more important? Food or girl with a creepy crush?_

_Food._

I gently propped the girl up against a rack of chips and positioned one hand on her hip and the other over her eyes. _She'd wake up soon…_

Once I was sure the girl wouldn't fall over, I lunged for the milk and grabbed two cartons just to be on the safe side.

I speedily passed by the other students walking to get in line and slammed the two objects on the counter.

There was a scrawny little dude working and he had to have been the slowest person ever to ring up my items. I drummed my fingers along the surface of the counter and the shrimp had the nerves to glare at me.

I just grabbed my things and walked off after he had given me my change back. I didn't even say thank you.

_Ha!_

I made record timing on my run back to the apartment and when I walked through the door I nearly strangled Edward's pretty little neck.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" I fell to my knees as I watched Edward drop his hand into my cereal bowl and grab a handful of Cocoa Puffs before tossing them into his mouth.

"Emmett?" Bella asked timidly.

I stood up and stalked over to where my dear little brother was sitting. "You come into _my_ apartment, drink all _my_ milk, and now you're eating _my_ breakfast?!"

"Whoa Emmett, chill out. I'll pour you another bowl." Edward held his hands up in surrender mode.

"Yeah, you better pour me another bowl." I pointed to where we kept them and flopped down on the couch. "You can pour the milk in it too!"

"Hey Em…" Bella smiled sweetly, "I know you're having a bad morning-"

I interrupted her right there, "No, no, no! This is a Happy Monday, I refuse to let it turn bad!"

"Happy Monday?" she questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh. I didn't tell you. I have officially named every Monday a Happy Monday because everyone always talks about how sucky Mondays are and I just felt bad for them. I mean all the other days of the week aren't hated…" I explained.

Bella giggled and patted my knee, "Well then Happy Monday Emmett, but I was just wondering why you were wearing my bathrobe…"

I looked down and low and behold, little yellow duckies covered my chest. "Oh hey! Yeah I am wearing your robe B!" I smiled and rubbed the top of her head, messing up her hair a little.

"Yes, I see that, but why?" She asked as I walked over and snatched my bowl away from Eddie. This was all his fault in the first place.

"Well I woke up this morning, feeling great because I had just invented a new holiday. I wandered around in the kitchen trying to figure out what I wanted for breakfast when I saw the milk in the fridge. Then I decided I wanted cereal for breakfast. Much to my complete disappointment though, _someone_," I pointed an accusing finger at Edward, "drank all my milk! So then I went on a wild goose chase for some, only to end up having to go to the store where I ran over a girl and practically made her faint! Then I come back here and see Edward eating up all my food again!" I huffed and shoved a spoonful of chocolate deliciousness into my mouth. "Aund I'um wherring yoor obe cuzth I wuth cothld." I explained with my mouth full.

"So are you going to keep the robe on all day?" Bella snickered.

I just smiled and shrugged. It was pretty comfy. _Maybe I should go get myself one of these bad boys…_

"Emmett, I didn't drink all your milk!" Edward said suddenly.

"Bull crap!" I yelled back.

"No, you drank it all last night when you found those cookies in the cabinet… remember?" he asked exasperated.

I thought back to last night. I got home, tackled Eddie and B, unpacked my bag, heard my stomach grumble, searched through the entire kitchen for a snack, and found those double fudge…cookies. They were really sweet, so I ended up just chugging the milk straight from the carton.

_Oh._

"Oh."

"See?!" Edward flailed his arms wildly.

"Okay, okay! Slow your roll Edward. Sorry I accused you of drinking all the milk. But admit it, it does sound like something you would do…"

"Yeah that does sound like me." He smirked.

Then we heard the loud blaring of an alarm clock and a thunderous crash. "Sounds like Jasper is awake." Edward snickered.

I watched Jasper emerge from his room with his blonde hair matted to his forehead in the front and sticking straight out in the back, kind of a like a reverse mullet. He lifted his arm and wiped the small stream of drool that was hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Mornin'" he rasped out and slumped into one of the beanbags.

I swear I had the weirdest brothers on earth when it came to sleeping. First there was Edward, he did this weird whistle/humming noise when he breathed in and out. And sometimes if you got him and Bella to fall asleep next to each other, they would have little conversations about clowns riding dinosaurs or something wacko like that.

Then we had Jasper. He was what I liked to call a 'Slippery Sleeper.' Now I know that sounds a little gross, and believe me it is, but not in the way you're probably thinking. Jazz sleeps with his mouth wide open, so wide I even tried to fit my fist in it once, but he woke up and bit me. Anyway, he drools, but its like monstrous drool. There's so much of it that he changes his pillowcase like every other day. I feel bad for Alice.

He also sweats like a donkey. One January, cold night I conducted a little experiment where I gathered up all the fans we had in the house and positioned them right in front of Jasper, set them on high, opened all his windows, and stripped the covers from his bed. The next morning the freak said that was the most comfortable temperature he had ever slept in.

I took a thermometer and set it up in his room. It was about 30 degrees in there and Jasper had only slept in his boxers. So I lovingly named him Jasper the Slippery Sleeper, because every morning he wakes up looking like if you tried to grab onto his hand, it would just slip right out of your grasp. Its gotten better over the years, but he still sweats like a pig.

_Yeah, I know, he's a disgusting little man._

I watched as Bella helped Jasper maneuver around the kitchen in his still half asleep state and trying to avoid looking at Edward.

I snuck a peek at Eddie and found him varying from staring intently at the clock and trying to get Bella's attention.

_Here we go..._

I grabbed a hold of Jasper just as he was about to pour orange juice instead of milk into his bowl and motioned for Edward and Bella to go to B's room so they could say their goodbyes.

After Jasper finally gained full alertness and finished his breakfast, we silently crept up to Bella's closed door and pressed our ears against it.

Yes, I may have been the one to usher them to the privacy of the bedroom, but I wasn't above eavesdropping.

"When do you think I'll get to see you again?" Bella asked so softly I almost didn't hear her.

"I don't know…" Edward's pained voice vibrated through the wood door, "..but it won't be too long. I promise."

I could hear the floor boards creak and assumed she was walking towards him, and then there were some… intimate sounds. That's when Jasper and I decided it was a good idea to back away.

A few minutes later, Bella and Edward entered the living room all puffy eyed and sad.

"Aw, come on guys, remember its a Happy Monday!! Don't be such downers..." I grumbled. Crying people made me uncomfortable, especially when it was one of my brothers and a girl.

Bella offered me a weak smile and then wandered into the kitchen leaving an awkward silence in the room while Jazz and I stared at a sniffling Edward.

"Soo…" I drawled as I rocked back on my heels.

"I guess I'll see you guys at Thanksgiving?" Edward questioned.

"Wow, probably. That's a while from now..." Jasper said shocked, "Have either of you talked to mom lately? She's going to be so mad at me, I haven't called her in like a week." He groaned.

"Eh, if it's been a week for you then I haven't spoken to her in two." I chuckled.

"Seriously? I talk to her at least every other day…" Edward said in disbelief.

Jasper glanced over at me and raised an eyebrow. I nodded in agreement.

_What a momma's boy…_

He didn't notice our little exchange because he was staring intently at his watch, probably figuring out down to the second how much longer he could put off leaving.

"You have to go Ed, don't worry about your girl. We've taken pretty good care of her so far." Jasper smiled.

He just breathed out a shaky laugh, "Looks like it. Thanks, by the way."

I could feel the moment coming, it was unmistakable. The part where we had to hug.

_I always hated this part._

Don't get me wrong, I love my brother and I really wish he wouldn't have decided to go to college so freaking far away but hugging him when he's all sentimental and crap is down right uncomfortable.

"All right, get over here." I sighed and held my arms open deciding to just get it over with.

"What are you doing?" Edward looked me up and down.

"Uhh…are you just gonna leave me hanging or come show some love to your older brother??" _Wasn't it kind of obvious?_

"Like a hug?"

"No, I want you punch me in the face. Yes, I mean a hug!" I said frustrated.

He looked like he was going to refuse the invitation for a little bit before Bella scampered back into the room and pushed him towards me.

He tried to be cool and did the whole pat-on-the-back-and-pull-away thing, but I locked my arms around his back.

"What the heck man? Let me go!"

"Oh shush, you know you like it." I teased him.

"Em, don't hog him!" Jasper laughed and tried to pry my arms off.

"You'll get your chance, just be patient!"

Somehow it turned into a game of Tug-A-Edward and Eddie wasn't having as much fun with it as Jasper and I were apparently.

"You guys!! Cut it out! _Bellaaaaa_!!!" he cried out like a little girl.

In the background I heard her giggle and refuse to help him because he should be grateful for having brothers who love him so much.

I tugged on his right arm and Jasper did the same with his left. I pulled one more time and as Jazz started gaining momentum for his turn I let go and watched the two fly back, hit the back of the couch, and topple head over heels over it onto the floor.

Bella and I leaned against each other for support as they scrambled to get up and glared at me.

_Funniest. Thing. Ever._

-:-:-

"She did what?!"

"Don't make me say it again, E…" Jacob groaned in to the phone.

"No, say it." I demanded.

"Bella totally dominated me when we played _Halo_ Friday night, ok?"

"No way!" My heart swelled with pride and a wide grin spread on my face.

"I wish I was lying, I really do." He pouted.

When I had originally called J I wanted to see if he was up for some food, because I was starving. But somehow my appetite vanished when Jacob said he couldn't because he was spending all his free time practicing for his rematch with B.

I the door of our apartment open and close and I shot from my room, finding that it was Jazz. "Jasper you are never going to believe what happened while we were gone!! Tell him J." I put the phone on speakerphone and held it out for Other J to hear.

"Do I have to?" Jacob whined on the other line.

"If you don't I will, or I'll just let B tell him." I threatened.

"Fine, fine. Bella totally whooped my ass at _Halo_. Happy?" he huffed.

"Very." I smirked and ended the call.

Then right on cue, Bella entered right as Jazz registered what Jacob said.

He put on his serious face and confronted B, "Isabella Marie Swan, what were your whereabouts last Friday night?"

"I was basically in the apartment the entire time. What's with the third degree?" she brushed past us and set her bag down on the counter.

"What happened after we left?" I asked this time.

"Well _father_, I sat around and moped in my loneliness for a good half hour, then went to see Irina, brought her back here, introduced her to J & J…that reminds me, I need to call her…" she trailed off.

I made a 'carry on' motion with my hands and she rolled her eyes, "Then we played hide and seek and after that came back up here and we…played…_Halo_…" A slow smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up. "Ohmigosh!! I totally forgot to tell you!"

"How could you keep something like that from me?" I asked hurt.

"Well I got kind of distracted with Edward…and it just slipped my mind…"

"No excuses. Now grab a controller, let me see what you got." I said excitedly.

_Maybe now I'll have a worthy opponent…_

**A/N: Like it? Love it? Want some more of it?**

**Anyone who recognizes the Peter Facinelli quote gets to ask me ONE question about what the prologue means :)  
...and don't cheat and be like "what does the prologue mean?" it has to be _specific!_**

**_-_**

**Favorite?**

**_Yeah, I know, he's a disgusting little man._**

**_-_**

**Please Review and Follow!! (www . twitter . com / lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	11. Oh

Call from **Edward** to _Bella_:

**"I got you a present."**

_"Really? What kind of present."_

**"The kind that's a surprise."**

_"A surprise present?"_

**"Yes."**

_"Do you not know me at all?"_

**"Of course I do. You are Isabella Swan, my girlfriend."**

_"Yes I am Isabella Swan, you're girlfriend who does not like surprises."_

**"You'll like this one."**

_"Are you sure?"_

**"Sure, I'm sure."**

_"Okay…"_

**"Oh, Seth says 'Hi'."**

_"Tell Seth I said hi back."_

**"Quil and Claire say 'Hi.' too."**

_"Tell Quil and Claire I said hi back as well."_

**"Oh, and Brooke."**

_"Brooke? Who's Brooke?"_

Call from **Bella** to _Alice_:

**"Do you know who Brooke is?"**

_"Umm…there's a Brooke in my sketching class…"_

**"No, Brooke from University of Washington."**

_"Bella, I go to Central Washington University."_

**"I know that."**

_"Okay…"_

**"So do you know Brooke?"**

_"Who is Brooke?!"_

**"Some girl Edward hangs out with."**

_"Ohhh…I see. Getting a little jealous are we?"_

**"Of course not."**

_"Mmhmm…"_

**"I'm not. Plus, you never answered the question Alice!"**

_"No, I do not know Brooke."_

**"Have you seen any pictures of her?"**

_"Bella, honestly, I have not seen Edward since we left Forks so how would I know anything about this girl?"_

**"Yeah, you're right…sorry. He's just been hanging out with her a lot and its not that I don't mind him having other friends that are girls, but like I said, they've been hanging out _a lot_."**

_"Don't worry about it Bells, you said they were just friends, right?"_

**"Yeah."**

Call from **Alice** to _Jasper_:

**"Who are Edward's friends?"**

_"Well, he has quite a few…there's me, Emmett, Ben Cheney-"_

**"No, Jasper. I mean from college. Do you know any of his friends from UOW?"**

_"Oh yeah, he has his roommate named Seth, Quil, Quil's girlfriend Claire, some girl that's friends with Claire…um…"_

**"Wait. What is Claire's friend's name?"**

_"I'm not sure."_

**"Ughh! You are not helping!"**

_"…Sorry?"_

Call from **Alice** to _Rosalie_:

**"…and then Bella said they've been hanging out together quite a bit."**

_"Brooke…Brooke…nope, I haven't heard Edward say anything about her once from the times I've talked to him."_

**"Well I don't think they've really been this close before, and I'm pretty sure that's what scares Bella. She didn't even know about the girl until like two days ago."**

_"Oh."_

**"Yeah…"**

_"So how close are we talking here? Like best friends forever, neighbors, study buddies…?"_

**"I have no clue. From what little information I gathered from Jasper, I think Brooke is one of Claire's friends and she started hanging out with Seth, Edward, and Quil when Claire and Quil started dating."**

_"Alright, I'll see if Emmett can give me any hints on who exactly this mystery girl is."_

Call from **Rosalie** to _Emmett_:

_"Why hello there sugar lips."_

**"Sugar lips?"**

_"I'm trying it out, like it?"_

**"No."**

_"What about…honey bun?"_

**"No."**

_"My little rose petal?"_

**"Uh…no."**

_"That's all I got."_

**"Then how about you stick with Rosie…"**

_"Fine."_

**"Anyway, I have a question."**

_"Shoot."_

**"Do you know Edward's friend Brooke?"**

_"Yeah, I called him yesterday and she answered. It was kind of weird actually because I thought she was Edward, you know because he has such a girly voice, but no, it was Brooke."_

**"Did you talk to Brooke much?"**

_"Yeah, I told you I thought she was Edward."_

**"What did you say?"**

_"I said, 'Hey bro.' And she said, 'Hello?' Then I said, 'What's up?' Then she said, 'Who is this?' Then I said, 'Emmett dude!' then she said, 'Oh. This isn't Edward.' Then I said, 'Well who is this?' Then she said, 'Brooke. Here's Edward.'"_

**"That's all?"**

_"Yup."_

**"Why was she answering Edward's phone?"**

_"I don't know sugar lips."_

**"Emmett…"**

_"Come on Rosie! You'll get used to it!"_

Call from **Jacob** to _Bella_:

**"Do you have plans this Friday?"**

_"No, I don't."_

**"Well then you better get started padding your pants because I'm going to kick your ass at _Halo_!"**

_"Really? Pad my pants?"_

**"Yeah, so it doesn't hurt your ass as much when I kick it."**

_"Then I would advise you to put on your most absorbent clothes, because I will wipe the floor with you!"_

**"Very nice comeback."**

_"Yeah, I try."_

Call from **Bella** to _Emmett_:

**"Emmett, don't make any plans for Friday. You are going to witness yours truly beat Jacob at videogames again."**

_"I am so there!"_

**"Okay, good! I have to go now."**

_"Wait! Where are you?"_

**"Walking into my composition class, why?"**

_"Well I'm sitting on the couch and I want to change the channel, but the remote is on top of the TV."_

**"That's quite a problem you have there…I know! Why not just walk over and get it?"**

_"I'm too comfortable to move."_

**"Not to mention lazy…"**

Call from **Emmett** to _Jasper_:

_"Dude, why did you call me? I'm just in my room."_

**"Can you help me?"**

_"With what?"_

**"I need the remote."**

_"Why can't you get it yourself?"_

**"I can't reach it."**

_"You know Em, there are these great things attached to our bodies that allow us to move around freely. They're called legs. Use yours."_

Call from **Bella** to _Edward_:

**"I got your big surprise present in the mail today."**

_"You did?"_

**"Yup, but I haven't opened it yet."**

_"Open it!"_

**"Okay, I am opening the package now."**

_"So…?"_

**"What am I supposed to do with this?"**

_"Have Jasper help you hook it up to your computer."_

**"And then do what?"**

_"Talk to me of course. I got one too."_

**"Oh. That's actually really great."**

_"So I was right?"_

**"About what?"**

_"You like it?"_

**"Obviously."**

_"Which means you liked the surprise…"_

**"Yes, Edward. I liked your surprise."**

_"Hah! I knew you would! But I can't take all the credit, Brooke helped me pick it out."_

**"Brooke?"**

_"Yeah, I knew she had one so I asked her to come help me so I could get the best one."_

**"Oh."**

_"She'll be glad to hear you like it. I told her about your distaste of surprises."_

**"You did?"**

_"Yup. Oh hold on, I got another call. _

**"..."**

_"__Its Brooke, can I talk to you later Bella?"_

**"Yeah…sure."**

Three-Way Call from **Bella** to Alice and _Rosalie_:

**"…then he just hung up on me! Without saying goodbye or anything!"**

"What?!"

_"No he didn't!"_

**"Oh yes he did."**

_"So you're not answering his calls anymore?"_

**"Nope. He would rather talk to Brooke anyway so why bother?"**

Call from **Edward** to _Alice_:

**"Do you know what Bella's doing?"**

_"No."_

**"She's not answering her phone."**

_"Oh?"_

**"Do you think she's with Jasper or Emmett?"**

_"Probably."_

Call from **Edward** to _Jasper_:

**"Is Bella with you?"**

_"Yeah. Oh no!… Shoot him!… Get the sniper!… Ooh! Right in the chest!"_

**"What is going on?"**

"_Bella and Jacob are facing off in the ultimate Halo battle."_

**"Oh."**

_"They're all tied up now. Jacob was in the lead, but Bells caught up to him."_

**"Can you just tell her to call me later?"**

_"Yeah, I'll tell her. …Go! Go! Go!"_

Voicemail from **Edward** (and _Brooke_) to Bella:

**"Hey. Jasper was supposed to tell you I called…that was an hour ago. I called your phone earlier a couple times too, you didn't answer…"**

_"Edward! I'm in an frozen dessert kind of mood, want to go get some ice cream?"_

**"Yeah, one second."**

**"Bella, can you just call me back? Please? I love you. Bye."**

Voicemail from **Bella** to Edward:

**"Hey. I called, you didn't answer. Call me back when you're not with Brooke."**

Second Voicemail from **Bella** to Edward:

Two hours later

**"Still out for ice cream with Brooke?"**

Call from **Edward** to Bella (and _Emmett_):

_"Hello?"_

**"Bella?"**

_"Nope, wrong."_

**"Hey Emmett. Why do you have Bella's phone?"**

_"She's kind of busy at the moment."_

**"What is she doing this time?"**

_"Jacob is determined to beat Bella at something so he challenged her to a Twister duel."_

**"Twister?"**

_"Yes sir. Jasper is the spinner, Jacob and Bella are the players, and Jared and I are the judges."_

**"So she can't talk right now?"**

_"Well technically she can, hold on."_

_"Bella! Your lover boy is on the phone. Say hi."_

"What? Oh. Hey Edward."

**"Hey…"**

"Ow! *Giggles* Jacob that was my foot!"

**"Are you having fun?"**

"Loads."

**"I'll let you have your fun then…call me when you're done."**

"Okay, bye."

Call from **Bella** to _Edward_:

_"Hey. Who won?"_

**"What? Oh, I won. Jacob isn't very flexible."**

_"That's good. You winning, I mean."_

**"Yeah…so what are you doing?"**

_"Just sitting on my bed. Everyone else is here too. They all say hi again…"_

**"Oh."**

_"What about you?"_

**"Nothing right now, but I might go see Jacob later…"**

_"Oh?"_

**"Yeah, the next thing he's going to try to beat me at is baking cookies."**

_"I see."_

**"Yup…"**

_"…"_

**"Well, I don't want to keep your friends waiting on you so I'll talk to you later?"**

_"Of course."_

**"Tell Seth, Quil, and Claire I said hi back."**

_"And Brooke?"_

**"Huh?"**

_"You forgot Brooke."_

**"Oh."**

_"Would you like me to tell her?"_

**"Tell her what?"**

_"That you said hi back to her as well."_

**"Yeah…sure."**

_"Okay, bye Bella."_

**"Bye Edward."**

_"…I love you…"_

**"…"**

_"Bella?"_

**"…I love you too, Edward."**

-

-

-

**A/N: Yes, it was shorter and different, but there is lots of info you need to know in here and I couldn't think of a better way to write it. I like how this chapter turned out though.**

**-**

**Favorite?**

**"Well then you better get started padding your pants because I'm going to kick your ass at _Halo_!"**

_"Really? Pad my pants?"_

**"Yeah, so it doesn't hurt your ass as much when I kick it."**

**-**

**What did Edward get Bella?  
If you guess right I will let you ask another question :)**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow!! (www . twitter . com / lleighh)**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	12. Call Me

**A/N: Dear Readers, brace yourselves.**

BPOV

"Ughhhhhh!!" I growled and pitched my phone across the room. Edward was officially getting on my last nerve.

First he says something about this Brooke girl that I know nothing about, then he proceeds to tell me all the awesome, fun things they've done together, hangs up on me to talk on the phone with her, I decided he deserved the silent treatment, that was working until he got all sad on me, so I called him back (twice!) and he doesn't answer because the jerkwad was hanging out with who?

You guessed it, Brooke.

After that I tell myself I will stick with my plan to freeze him out. No contact whatsoever. But then Emmett answered the dang phone and I am forced to speak to Brooke's _bestest friend_.

He sounded all sad again and it broke my heart, so I decided to call him again and let him know about my little dislike with his choice of friends. But of course, little miss Brooke was there and I couldn't really talk about her when she was five feet away.

Man, I hate that girl.

And the killer is I don't even know that much about her! I know enough though, like the fact that she and Edward have a two-person 'study group', and they go out for ice cream almost everyday, and my personal favorite is that they walk each other to class sometimes.

Brooke is just the best isn't she?

"Arghhhhhh!!" I groaned again and let my head fall against the wall.

"Bella? Everything…okay…?" Jasper asked carefully as he peeked his head in my room.

"No, its not." Tears started welling up in my eyes and I couldn't stop them from spilling over.

He hesitantly entered all the way into my room and stood there awkwardly in front of me, not knowing what to do.

"I'm okay Jazz," I lied, "I'm just gonna go visit Kate and Irina…" Of course that only made me cry more because the only people I wanted to talk to right now were Alice and Rose and they were hours upon hours away.

I shrugged on my jacket, threw the hood over my head, and shoved my hands in the pockets as I walked over to the dorms.

My feet made a clomping noise as I made my way up the stairs and I knocked on Kate and Irina's door when I reached it.

No answer.

A single tear rolled down my face in frustration. I needed to talk to someone. Preferably someone who couldn't run and tell Edward what we talked about right after I poured my heart out to them. That immediately eliminated Jasper and Emmett, Irina and Kate were gone, and I was a mess.

I exited the building and slumped down into a bench close by.

"You don't look so good." A rustic voice said out of nowhere, followed by someone else humming in agreement.

I lifted my head and found Jacob and Jared looking at me with matching worried expressions.

"Bella, are you alright?" Jacob came over and sat down on the bench while Jared took a spot on the ground right in front of me.

"No. Not at all." I croaked and let my head fall onto Jacob's shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jared asked quietly.

I nodded and took a deep breath.

EPOV

I sighed and snapped my phone shut. Seth was studying my face and everyone else was engrossed in the movie we were watching.

"I'm going to go for a walk." I announced to the group and made a move to get up.

"No, wait! Edward, you can't leave half way through the movie." Brooke said urgently.

"I missed the first half anyway so I won't even understand the second part." I tried to joke lightly, but it came out strained.

"Me either, I think I'll come with you." Seth got up as well and followed me out the door.

We walked in silence down the stairs and out the door, into the light drizzle coming from the clouds.

I was glad it wasn't bright and sunny out today. I wasn't in the mood for a beautiful day.

"Edward, you have to tell me what's going on. I've seen you mope before, but its never been this bad. You're _so_ depressed, what's wrong?" Seth pleaded with me.

"Things were perfect when I left last Monday night, apart from the fact that I had to leave Bella again. They were still great when I called her about the package I sent her and the same when she received it. That was this past Wednesday." I could even hear my voice fall when I recalled mine and Bella's recent conversations.

They consisted solely of missed calls, voicemails, and a lot of awkward pauses.

"What changed?" he asked carefully.

"I don't know. She opened the package and said she really liked it. Then Brooke called me and I had to go. Next thing I know its Friday and Bella isn't answering her phone and I had to call Jasper to figure out what she was doing. Apparently she was too busy to talk because her and this Jacob guy she's friends with were playing videogames."

"And Jacob is…?"

"Jacob is a friend of Emmett and Jasper's. So I guess he and Bella became friends because Jacob and his roommate, Jared, are always with them."

"…And you don't like Jacob." It wasn't a question.

"What? I didn't say that."

"But it's obvious. You're jealous that he gets to spend so much time with Bella."

"If that were the case then I wouldn't like Emmett or Jasper either." I pointed out.

"What about this Jared guy? He hangs out with her too, you don't mind him?"

"He has an almost-girlfriend though." _Whoa. I didn't know I felt that way until I actually said it._

"I see, and that's also why you don't mind her spending so much time with your brothers because you don't feel threatened that she may evolve feelings for them."

I didn't say anything back. I just watched my feet move one in front of the other as I thought about Jacob. And Bella. And Jacob _with_ Bella.

And I didn't like the thought of them spending time together. Alone. I don't know why though, I had no reason to practically hate this guy. I guess it was just something about the way he acted around Bella. Something that told me it meant more than a friendship to him.

"That's not my problem though. My dislike for Jacob has nothing to do with why Bella is being so distant. She doesn't even know I don't like him. Heck, _I_ didn't even know until just now!"

"Okay, so then did Bella call you back after she was done playing videogames?"

"Well I called her again a little while later but she didn't answer…again, so I left a message. Then when she did call I missed it because I was hanging out with Brooke."

"When did you and Brooke get so close?" he asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I think it kind of started when we went shopping for web cams; we were walking through the store and I looked over at her and realized how much she reminded me of Bella."

"So you like Brooke because she's like Bella?"

"No! She's a great girl and fun to be around. But I guess I just feel closer to Bella when I'm with her. Does that make any sense?"

"I understand where you're coming from. So when did you realize you missed Bella's call?"

"This morning."

"Dude…"

"Yeah, I know. I figured she'd be upset with me for not answering and then not returning her call until today, and I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for was Emmett answering and telling me she was playing Twister with Jacob. _Twister_! The most intimate board game ever!"

"I'm sure it wasn't 'intimate' Edward. You said Emmett was there."

"Yeah I guess, well anyway, he put me on speakerphone and she sounded like she was having a lot of fun so I told her to call me back. It seems like that's all we've been doing... Calling the other just to tell them to call us back."

"And that was the call you got a little bit ago?"

"Yeah…"

"What did you two talk about?"

"I asked her how the game went, she told me she won. Then she asked what I was doing and I told her I was watching a movie with you guys, then you all told me to tell her you said 'hi' so I did. Then I asked her what she was doing and she said she might go hang out with Jacob later…which I didn't really like too much, but I didn't tell her that."

"After that there was a really awkward silence. Then she said she better go because she didn't want to keep me from the movie and to tell you guys 'hi' back. I said my goodbyes and that I loved her but she didn't say anything, creating another awkward pause. I thought she had hung up but then she finally sighed into the phone and said she loved me too and that was that."

I looked over at Seth and he had a thoughtful expression on his face, "I don't know what to tell you…but I don't think things are great between you two right now."

"I was afraid of that…"

BPOV

I had spent the past half hour retelling the story of Brooke to Jared and Jacob while they silently listened and let me cry on their shoulders.

"So you kind of feel... replaced?" Jacob asked softly.

I wiped away my tears and nodded.

"Do we need to go hunt this guy down and beat him up for you?" Jared teased.

"Thanks for the offer, but if it comes to that Emmett gets the honors." I laughed shakily.

"It will all work out Bella. I know I'm probably not the best for relationship advice, but everything works out some way or another. And I can't see Edward giving you up, you practically have him wrapped around your finger." Jacob chuckled.

"Thanks guys. I really needed to vent to someone and let all my frustrations out."

"Our door is always open." Jared smiled warmly and helped me up.

They walked me back to my apartment and I opened the door to find two very troubled Cullens.

"ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!" Emmett boomed, "Where have you been?!"

I shut the door behind me and tried not to laugh because Emmett never called me by my full name. "I was-"

"No, no, no! I don't want to hear excuses. Jasper told me you were crying and then just took off! What is going on?!"

I looked over at Jasper and he smiled apologetically, probably for unleashing Emmett's motherly instincts.

"If I wanted you to know I would have come and talked to you about it. That goes for both of you. Please don't worry about me, I seriously just can't talk to you guys about this."

They both looked hurt when I said I didn't want them to know what was going on, but it wasn't just that they might tell Edward, it was unfair too. Unfair to Edward, Jasper, and Emmett because they were brothers and I shouldn't expect them to keep secrets from each other.

"Bells, you know you can tell us anything." Jasper said quietly.

"I know, but not this. I'm sorry."

"You have to give us something!" Emmett pleaded.

I just shook my head, "I have to try and work this out on my own."

EPOV

Seth and I ended up in the parking lot sitting on a large cement clock that hand a light post coming out of it.

We were soaked from being out in the soggy weather for so long and I'm pretty sure both of us had caught a cold.

While we sat, Seth would ask me questions about how I met Bella, the early part of our relationship, our senior year; I ended up telling him everything. I found myself forgetting about this little rough patch Bella and I were going through when I replayed all the great times Bella and I have had back to Seth.

I could tell it was getting late because the sky was getting darker by the second so Seth and I trudged back to our room. We peeled off our waterlogged clothing and I put on my most comfortable sweatpants, thickest socks, and one of Bella's hoodies.

I had left my phone in the room, so I grabbed it from the table and flipped it open.

**14 missed calls  
****3 new voicemails  
****27 unread txt messages**

_Holy crap._

I sifted through the missed calls first.

**Emmett  
****Emmett  
****Emmett  
****Jasper  
****Jasper  
****Mom  
****Mom  
****Mom  
****Dad  
****Brooke  
****Emmett  
****Jasper  
****Brooke  
****Brooke**

Then the text messages.

**Call me back –Emmett**

**Answer ur phone –Emmett**

**Where r u? –Emmett**

**Edward! Don't ignore me! –Emmett**

**CALL ME BACK! –Emmett**

**EDWARD! –Emmett**

**ANSWER –Emmett**

**YOUR –Emmett**

**PHONE! –Emmett**

**U r really annoying me right now. –Emmett**

**Hey, call Em back. He's kinda freakin out –Jazz**

**Edward? Seriously, call him. Plz, at least 4 my sake. –Jazz**

**I'm going to guess u don't have ur phone or it died –Jazz**

**U remember that one time u called me…? –Emmett**

**Yeah, I actually answered the phone! –Emmett**

**FYI: Em said he will keep bugging u til u call him –Jazz**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Where r u guys? U left hours ago… -Brooke**

**Call me – Emmett**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Call me –Emmett**

**Edward?? U there? –Brooke**

**Call me –Emmett**

I decided to listen to the voicemails before calling anyone back, mostly because I didn't want to deal with my family and Brooke right now.

"**You have three new messages. First Message from 555-2002."**

"**Edward, I need you tell me what in the name of cheese puffs is going on with you and Bella! Now!"**

"**Second Message from 555-4166"**

"**Hey, call me back…or Emmett. Well, you should probably call Emmett back because he's a little worked up…okay bye."**

"**Third Message from 555-4562"**

"**Edward, this is your mother. What is wrong with Emmett?"**

"**End of new messages."**

I closed the phone and fell back onto my bed.

_Who should I call first…?_

The choice was obvious.

BPOV

I had retreated to my room and locked the door and the little confrontation with Emmett and Jasper.

And then I did nothing.

Well actually I listened to Emmett go on and on about how, _'he is the big brother and he needs to know what is freaking going on because if someone doesn't tell him soon he is going to flip his lid!'_

Yes, he did say all of that in third person too.

Then I got to thinking, and discovered I missed Edward a lot. That brought on some tears, and I decided I needed to talk to Edward…soon.

Although, I never got a chance to call him because he beat me to it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella." It didn't sound like my Edward at all.

"Edward? What's wrong with your voice?"

"Oh, I think I'm getting sick."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Its alright. I brought it on myself. Seth and I were out in the rain all day."

"Why?"

"I just needed to get out."

"And catching pneumonia was the best option?" I giggled.

"Yeah." He answered seriously and then changed the subject, "Bella, I have a question…"

"Okay…"

"Actually it's a few."

"Just ask me, Edward."

"One: Why have you been sort of distant lately? Two: Why is Emmett freaking out? and Three: Did you get your web cam hooked up to your computer yet?"

**A/N: ***THIS IS NOT THE PROLOGUE! I REPEAT, THIS IS _NOT_ THE PROLOGUE!***  
When we do get to the part the explains the prologue i will let you know.**

**-**

**I'm not going to ask a favorite part this chapter because I know most people will not have one...  
So instead please tell me your thoughts on the things that happened in this chapter.  
Are you on Edward's side, Bella's, or Jasper and Emmett's (aka Team I-just-want-to-know-what-the-heck-is-going-on!)?**

**-**

**I know its a sort of cliffy but i already have the next chapter finished and it will be up shortly!!**

**-**

**please review it even if you hate it ;)  
...and follow me on twitterrr! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	13. My Deal

**A/N: Here we go again...**

BPOV

_"One: Why have you been sort of distant lately? Two: Why is Emmett freaking out? and Three: Did you get your web cam hooked up to your computer yet?"_

-

I sat there just staring at the wall, trying to figure out which I should answer first. I could get the hard one over with, stall with the easy one, or sick him on Emmett so he can answer the second question himself.

Stall first, then go with the Emmett plan.

"The web cam? Well, uh, Jasper was supposed to help me with it but he's been kind of busy lately and we haven't had a chance to try and figure the thing out…" I laughed nervously.

"Is Jasper there now?"

"Yes."

"Can you ask him to help you…now?"

"I guess so..."

I got off my bed and hesitantly opened my door. Jasper was laying on the couch with an arm thrown over his face while Emmett paced in front of the kitchen counter where his phone sat.

I cleared my throat to let them know I was in the room.

Bad idea.

"BELLA! Who is that on the phone? Is it Edward? Gimme it!" Emmett bounded over to me and grabbed the phone away.

_Looks like passing him off to Emmett was easier than I thought it would be…_

I walked over to Jasper where he was now sitting up and watching Emmett yell into the phone.

"Hey Jazz…um…Edward wanted to know if you could connect the camera thingy to the computer…now…"

"Sure." He sighed and got up to go find my laptop and the web cam I'm assuming.

"NO I WILL _NOT_ CALM DOWN! WHAT IS UP WITH YOU AND BELLA?!"

I cringed at Emmett's volume. I'm surprised one of our neighbors hadn't called the Apartment Advisor about excessive noise yet.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU DON'T KNOW'?!"

"WELL LET ME TELL YOU WHAT _I_ KNOW! YOU TWO BETTER TELL ME WHAT IS WITH YOU GUYS THE SECOND YOU FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELVES!"

With that he calmly walked over to me, handed me the phone, and said, "Edward would like to speak with you." Then sat down beside me.

"Edward?"

"You never answered my first question Bella."

"What was it again?" I played dumb.

"Why are you being so distant? What's your deal?"

I don't know whether it was the tone he used with me, the way Edward worded that last question, or the fact that he had no idea why I was so 'distant', but something inside me just snapped.

And when I snap, there's no going back.

Edward should be afraid

_Very_ afraid.

"What's _my_ deal?!"

"Yes."

"My deal is that you are traipsing all around Seattle with another girl! The deal is, _Edward_ that it seems to me like you would rather go off with her than even talk to me! You know what it feels like? It feels like you are replacing me with Brooke! That is _my_ deal!"

Then there was silence. I could still hear Edward's steady breaths on the other end so I knew he was still there just not talking, Emmett was looking at me like he was torn between if he should hug me or not because I was crying now, and Jasper had stopped fidgeting with my computer.

And since I was on a roll now, I kept going.

"And you know what just makes all of this _so great_?! Do you?!"

Silence.

"The fact that I'm here and you're there."

And of course not a minute later I hear knocking in the background followed by _her_ voice, "Edward? Are you in there?"

"You better go answer the door. It sounds like Brooke needs to be let in."

Then I hung up.

EPOV

Then she hung up.

"Edward?" _Knock, Knock, Knock, _"Edward?"

I stared at the door and could see the slight vibrations after each pound from her small fists.

_Bella. _

_Brooke._

_Bella doesn't like Brooke._

_Bella thinks I'm choosing Brooke over her._

_That would never happen. She _has_ to know that._

I ignored the knocking that kept up and redialed Bella's number.

"_Hi! This is Bella. Sorry I missed your call, but if you keep trying I'm sure I'll answer sooner or later!"_

So that's what I did.

I called, and called, and called.

But no one answered.

**A/N: I know it was short, but that felt like the best place to end it :)**

**-**

**You were all very into the whole teams thing and I even have a few new additions that some reviewers made up themselves:  
Team This Is All One Big Misunderstanding  
and  
Team Edward Is An Idiot For Not Realizing How Good He Has It With Bella And Frequently Screws It Up**

**So if you would like to join one of those, be my guest :)**

**-**

**I'm glad you all still had favorite parts last chapter so I'm bringing it back!**

**Favorite?**

**I'm proud of Bella for going off on Edward :)**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Emeleigh**


	14. Saturday Night

**A/N: Whoa! I am on a roll with getting new chapters out! :D**

**Dear anonymous reviewer from chapter 1 - Confizzled,  
Idk if you will see this, but you did not miss a character in the books. None of the characters created by Stephanie Myer are named Emeleigh lol. _I_ am Emeleigh :)**

BPOV

_8:21 p.m. Saturday Night_

I calmly shut off my phone, placed it on the arm of the couch, and folded my hands in my lap. Emmett continued to stare at me while Jasper got back to work on my computer.

We sat there for seven minutes and thirteen seconds before anyone said anything. I counted.

"So… I guess I know now…" Emmett whispered.

"Guess so." I sniffed, still recovering from my tears shed while talking to Edward.

"Did you… uh… want to talk about it… maybe?" He asked carefully.

"I do, but I can't. I told you guys that earlier because I actually meant it. I don't think its fair for you to talk about your brother with me…"

"Sure, sure." He said absentmindedly.

We sat there for another three minutes and fifty-eight seconds before Jasper spoke up.

"You're all set, Bells. Just click the camera icon on your desktop and it will open up."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be using it as much as I thought…" I tried to joke.

Jasper just mumbled something back that I didn't catch and sat down on the other side of Emmett.

A full ten minutes passed this time.

"This Brooke girl is… Edward's friend?" Jasper asked hesitantly.

"Yes." I could only give him small answers because if I tried to say more than two syllables, I'm sure I would snap again... or cry. It was hard to tell.

"…and she is with Edward a lot?"

"Yup." I sniffed.

"…and you don't like her."

"I don't."

"That's understandable." Jasper sighed and slumped into the cushions.

EPOV

_9:02 p.m. Saturday Night_

I stared at the door and I sat.

The more I sat, the more I thought.

With each thought, I became frustrated.

Each frustration was intensified every time Bella would not answer her phone.

Each frustration was even more intensified every time Brooke knocked on my door.

"What are you doing?" A muffled voice from Seth traveled through the walls.

"Trying to get Edward to answer the door." Brooke replied.

"Why?"

"I wanted to talk to him."

"Why?"

"He wasn't answering my text messages."

"Why?"

"I don't know Seth! That's why I came over here!"

"Oh, well you can't come in."

"Why?"

"Hey, that's my line." He teasingly scolded her.

"Answer the question." she said in a no-nonsense tone.

"I don't think _you_ bugging Edward when he's not in the best mood is the greatest idea." He hissed. I could tell there was more of an explanation behind his words, but I didn't care to figure it out at the moment.

"They're fighting aren't they?" She said in an almost smug tone.

"I _can_ hear you guys!" I called towards the door.

The doorknob jiggled open, revealing Seth and Brooke.

"Why didn't open the door?" Brooke asked, hurt.

"I…just uh, don't want to talk right now." I couldn't really tell her, 'my girlfriend thought I cared about you more than her, so I don't want to speak with you right now.'

That would go over well…

"Oh, okay. See you tomorrow." She waved and then disappeared down the hall.

Seth shut the door and walked over to his bed.

"I called her." I said quietly.

"What happened?"

"I basically asked her what was going on and then she totally flipped out on me. Saying that I was 'traipsing around Seattle with Brooke,' and that she feels replaced."

"By Brooke?" he asked, but didn't seem all that surprised.

"Yeah. Then she hung up on me."

"And now…?"

"Now I'm torn between feeling hurt that she doesn't trust me, frustrated with her for freezing me out for days about this, or driving over there tonight to work this out."

"Did you ever think that maybe its not you she doesn't fully trust?"

BPOV

_9:33 p.m. Saturday Night_

The three of us sat in the living room, not talking, for a while before dispersing to our rooms. I'm sure Emmett and Jasper were on their phones with Rosalie and Alice right now reenacting tonight's events for them.

I closed my bedroom door behind me and just stood there. The first thing my eyes were drawn to were the millions of pictures adorning the walls and sitting on shelves. Pictures that had Edward in them.

It's not that looking at _him_ made me angry, it made me automatically think about Brooke. _She_ made me angry.

I spent a few minutes collecting all pictures that reminded me of Edward (which was 97 percent of them) and then hid them in a box under my bed.

I couldn't think about all this huge mess anymore, it hurt too badly.

Correction, I _didn't want _to think about this right now.

I looked around my room and spotted about twenty billion other things that reminded me of him. So I hid them all under my bed.

Mature, I know.

After my room was completely de-Edwarded, I ventured out into the living room again. Jazz and Em were still in their rooms gossiping like a couple of old women so I had the whole space to myself.

_What to do…_

I saw my phone had fallen to the floor so I picked it up and plugged it into the charger by the wall. It lit up and read 'Charging…' but I was too curious to see if Edward had called back so I turned it all the way on.

Immediately after the device came to life, it started freaking out.

**34 missed calls**

**Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward  
****Edward**

Figures…

**1 new voicemail**

"**You have one new message. First message from, 555-3040."**

"**We need to talk."**

_Uhh…you think?!_

Sometimes Edward just amazed me with his ability to point out the obvious…

**1 new text message**

I didn't recognize the number it was from, but I had a pretty damn good idea after I read the message.

**Heard u n E had a fight. Want 2 talk? –B**

_Oh, no. She. Did. Not._

If this was frickin' Brooke I would seriously go on a rampage.

And I'm almost positive it was her.

On second thought, maybe I could use this to my advantage…

EPOV

_10:00 p.m. Saturday Night_

I quit trying to get a hold of Bella after about the hundredth time it went straight to voicemail.

Seth had gone over to hang out with Quil to give me some privacy if Bella and I did get the chance to talk. It didn't look like that was going to happen, but I took advantage of the time I had by myself anyway.

I needed to sort through some stuff.

The funny thing was, Bella always helped me sort through my thoughts. I sucked at it.

I rested my back against the wall, hung my legs over the edge of the bed, and let my head fall back.

This was my thinking position.

_Okay, Edward. What did you learn tonight?_

_Bella is mad at you._

_Bella does not like your friend Brooke._

_Bella is jealous of Brooke._

_Bella feels replaced by Brooke._

_It seems she had been keeping this to herself, judging by the distance earlier this week, her big blow up over the phone, and the fact that neither Emmett nor Jasper knew._

_Bella is not talking to you right now._

_Seth and Brooke seem to have a little secret between them after hearing their conversation from the other side of the door._

_And I don't like Jacob._

Whew! That's a lot.

_Now… what do I do with all this newfound information?_

I need to talk to my mom…

BPOV

_10:45 p.m. Saturday Night_

I quickly texted Brooke back to get the conversation started and to make sure I had my anger directed at the right person.

**Who is this? –Bella**

I was already a little pissed off that she made me change my signature on the message. I couldn't use '**-B**' when she used it!

But I made myself feel better by telling myself the 'B' stood for 'Bitch' instead of 'Brooke'.

See? Mature.

**Brooke, Edward's friend. –B**

**Oh yeah, I've heard quite a lot about u. –Bella**

**Really? Edward talks about me? –B**

Strike one. Everyone knows the only reason anyone asks that question is when he or she wants said person to be telling everyone they know about them.

**Recently, yes. –Bella**

**Like what? –B**

Oh for the love of mankind! Could she be any more obvious? Strike two.

**He mentioned you helped pick out my web cam. –Bella**

**Yeah, I did :) Do u like it? –B**

**I haven't really had a chance to try it out. –Bella**

**Well get on now! I'm logged on, we can talk there :) –B**

…………? Strike three?

I was dumbstruck. She wanted to web chat with me? Like face to face, web chat? Could I control all my negative emotions towards her? Right now every time I opened her latest text, I would flip off my phone and stick my tongue out at it.

Man, I'm just basking in maturity tonight…

But, what the heck? I was kind of curious to see what she looked like anyway…

**Okay. –Bella**

I propped up my laptop on my legs as I found a spot on the couch. Clicking the little camera icon, I watched as the window popped up.

I had to go through a little tutorial that explained how to work the web cam and then created an account for the web chat application.

_Username: Bella_Swan_

It was generic, but I had no other ideas.

All of the sudden a window popped up.

_**Brookerzzz**_** requests video web chat with **_**Bella_Swan**_**. Accept?**

_Brookerzzz_? What kind of a stupid person adds three z's to the end of their name?!

I clicked yes and held my breath as I waited for her face to appear.

The picture became clear and I could make out the girl's face. She had brown hair, light skin, and dark eyes. I felt like I was looking at my twin.

Well, fraternal twin, but a twin no less. It reminded me of the day I met Kate and Irina. At first glance they looked identical, but after you looked a little closer, you could see soem distinct differences.

"Hi!" Her overly cheerful voice chirped over small static sounds from my speakers.

"Hi…"

"So do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty neat." I offered half-heartedly.

"Edward thought so too! He and I talked for _hours_ over this thing when he got his web cam." She gushed.

I fought the urge to punch the computer screen and forced a laugh.

Though almost instantly her face turned serious. "So you and Edward?"

"Yes?"

"You're fighting?"

"You could say that…" I answered cryptically. I didn't want her to know all my business, especially my business that involved Edward.

"Any way I could help?"

"Actually, could you tell him something for me?"

EPOV

_11:01 p.m. Saturday Night_

"Mom?"

"What is it Edward?" she sounded concerned.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course dear."

"Did you or Dad ever get split up? …Like Bella and I?" I asked carefully.

"Once. It's actually similar to your situation. Your father and I met when he was in medical school and I was visiting your Aunt Elizabeth for spring break. Liz and I had gone out to eat and your aunt got a little too tipsy. She ended up falling and scraping up her knee pretty badly on the sidewalk. I took her to the emergency room and your father was working that night for his residency. Long story short, he patched up Liz and then we exchanged phone numbers."

"Then what?"

"We spent the rest of my time I was there together, but soon I had to return back to my own school. It was hard, but we made it through…obviously." She chuckled.

"Did you have any fights?"

"Tons."

"Big or small?"

"Mostly small fights, but there were a few bigger ones."

"Oh."

"Why are you asking me this Edward? Is something wrong? Does this have to do with Emmett's behavior earlier?"

"Yes. To all of it." I sighed. "Bella and I are in this _huge_ jumble of crap and I don't know how to fix it. Emmett was going ballistic earlier because he didn't know why Bella was acting funny."

"And why is that?" she asked calmly.

"She thinks I don't care about her anymore." I choked out before letting the sob rake through my chest, "It's not true mom! She's everything to me! Tell me how to fix this! _I need _to fix this!"

"Edward, honey, its all going to be okay."

"How do you know?! She won't answer my calls, and when she does she either shies away from saying anything at all or blows up about why she's mad."

"You need to give her a little time, son. Girls are just like that. I guarantee that right now she's trying to figure out this mess exactly like you, but doesn't know how to and her emotions are taking over."

"So if I give her time, then try to talk to her that will help?"

"I think so. Don't worry Edward, Bella loves you more than anything. She's not going to let one fight break you two up."

"I hope your right mom. I can't lose her. _I can't_."

"I know, Edward. Get some sleep and call me tomorrow. I love you." She ordered me softly.

"I love you too. Bye."

I hung up and buried my face in my pillow as the remaining tears flowed freely.

_11:59 p.m. Saturday Night_

I dozed off and woke up to soft knocks on my door. I squinted through the darkness and saw Seth asleep on his bed, so I knew it wasn't him.

"Edward?" a quiet voice called.

_Ugh, Brooke._ She was probably the last person I needed to see right now.

I figured if I didn't open the door she would keep knocking, so I stumbled over and opened it.

"Yes?" I yawned and held a hand over my eyes as the light from the hallway blinded me.

"Bella asked me to tell you something."

That was the last thing I expected out of _her _mouth.

**A/N: I did it again, sorry :/ ...actually not really because i like to hear your reactions to the cliffies ;)**

**-**

**New Teams created by hilarious reviewers :)  
-Team Edward is still sexy :) **_(i joined this one!)  
_**-Team Well Done Bella For Going Off On Edward, We're Proud Of You!  
-Team You-Idiots!- Especially-Edward-and-why-the-hell-does-Brooke-show-up-EVERY-FREAKING-TIME-EDWARD-NEEDS-TO-TALK-TO- BELLA?!-Go-die-Brooke! **_(lmao i think i'm joing this one too)_  
**_-_Team Brooke should back off, Edward's way to hot for her, and got eat some ice-cream cause that is all she seems to do anyway.  
-Team that was an incredibly cruel place to leave the chapter but of course im going to keep reading cause this story is a-freakin-mazing.  
-Team Emeleigh is an amazing writer and i wish this story would never end cause its awesome **_(aww thanks :) )  
-_**Team Edward Is So Fucking Retarded Because He Must Be Blind**

**And this is for AzraCullen :)  
-Team it takes two to tango **_(which i have joined as well :) )_

**_-_**

**Favorite?**

**When Seth annoyed Brooke by asking her "Why?" over and over :)**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Emeleigh**


	15. Sunday Morning & Afternoon

**A/N: I feel horrible for not getting this chapter out sooner! Sorry!**

_11:59 p.m. Saturday Night_

Call from _Jasper_ to **Alice**:

_"…And then she hung up on him. It was pretty awkward after that."_

**"…"**

_"Alice? You still there?"_

**"One second Jazz. I'm trying to process all this."**

_"Okay…"_

**"…"**

_"…"_

**"OH! MY! GOD! Who does your brother think he is? Don't answer that. But seriously! He cannot just call up my friend and ask her 'what her deal is' when he's been blowing her off for some hussie!"**

Call from _Emmett_ to **Rosalie**:

_"…And then she hung up on him. I've got to hand it to B, she really laid in on him."_

**"That's my girl!"**

**-**

_Previously..._

_"Bella asked me to tell you something."_

_That was the last thing I expected out of _her _mouth._

**EPOV**

_11:59 p.m. Saturday Night_

"She asked _you_ to tell me something?" I was positive I hadn't heard Brooke right.

"Yup. Would you like to know?" She asked cheerily. That's got to be a good sign right? If she's acting happy then the message must be good.

Wrong.

"She thinks you two need a little bit of a break from each other…and not to call her or anything… She sounded like she didn't want to have any contact with you at all." My heart dropped and shriveled up inside my stomach.

_A break?!_

"She said that?" I practically whimpered.

"Yeah. Are you okay?" Brooke asked a little more sympathetic now.

"Just peachy." I scoffed back. Honestly, what kind of a question is that?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." I told her quietly and shut the door.

**BPOV**

_7:00 a.m. Sunday Morning_

How well I sleep in certain Edward situations on a scale from 1-10:  
Sleeping with Edward's arms around me – 10  
Sleeping with Edward in the same room – 9  
Sleeping in the same general area that Edward is in – 8  
Sleeping in the same town Edward is in – 7  
Falling asleep with Edward on the phone – 6  
Sleeping in Edward's sweatshirt – 5  
Dreaming that Edward is with me, but waking up alone – 4  
Sleeping when Edward and I aren't fighting, but I still miss him – 3  
Some sleep while worrying about Edward – 2  
Some sleep while in a small fight with Edward – 1  
Very little sleep while in a huge fight with Edward – 0

It is ridiculous that today is a Sunday and I am already awake.

More than anything I just want to call Edward like any other normal day, like none of this crap even happened and Brooke was never mentioned.

Or better yet, like Brooke was never born. Yeah, I like that idea better.

Although, she did help me out a lot with my new secret plan to figure out what Brooke and Edward's relationship was actually like.

She told me they weren't really good friends until the day they went web cam shopping. Which is just great because technically I brought them closer since Edward was getting the web cam for me. After that they bonded even more over their love for ice cream.

…Yeah, I don't really get that. _Everyone loves ice cream, so why couldn't Brooke go get it with someone else everyday?_

Other than their numerous ice cream dates, they're usually with the rest of the UOW gang doing college stuff.

From that information I have eliminated the theories of Edward falling in love with Brooke

But that didn't explain Edward's inability to pay attention to me this past week and a half. He still ditched me on the phone to go eat freaking ice cream and spent all his time with Brooke somewhere near him.

I was glad I talked to Brooke for another reason as well. She sent a message to Edward for me because I know I'm not in the best shape to talk to him right now.

I told her to tell him that, 'I still love him, even if he's being a royal jerk right now and that I will call him when I'm ready. I just need a little bit of time to cool off.'

_Exactly_ those words too.

**EPOV**

_7:30 a.m. Sunday Morning_

"Hello?" I heard Seth's mumble into the previously ringing phone.

"Not good…You were there for their big phone call right?…Yeah, he was pretty beat up about it…Well, I know he talked to your mom and someone came to our room last night…Yeah, it probably was her…Edward thinks so, but she has different ideas…Or hopefully more than that…Yeah I don't either…I'm working on it though…Alright, Bye."

From the one sided conversation I realized it was one of my brothers calling to see how I was.

I yawned loudly and acted like I just woke up as I kicked off the covers.

"You're not a good actor, Ed. How much did you hear?" Seth sighed.

"All of it." I admitted.

"I figured. That was Jasper by the way. Sounds like she's not doing so great either." He knew not to say her name, and for that I was grateful.

"What do you mean? She's the one who is pulling away!" I got a sudden swell of anger. Bella is the one who wants to just brush everything under the rug and forget about it! She's the one who doesn't want to talk and work through this! She's the one practically breaking up with me!

"I'm just telling you what your brothers said…"

"What else were you talking about? The thing about different ideas?" I changed the subject abruptly, remembering that little statement.

"Oh…uh, that was about…Brooke."

"Brooke?"

"Yeah, I think Bella had the right feeling about her…" he trailed off.

Un-fucking-believable. Brooke was my friend. Bella is just jealous. Why is everyone on Bella's side?! I'm the one getting hurt!

I didn't dare open my mouth and start an argument with Seth. I just nodded and fell back on my bed.

**BPOV**

_8:00 a.m. Sunday Morning_

I was trying to distract myself with killing the figures on the Playstation when I heard two doors creak open.

"Mornin' B." Emmett greeted me groggily as Jasper sat down beside me.

"How is Bella today?" he asked and reminded me of a better looking version Mr. Rogers or Dr. Phil…

I narrowed my eyes, "How do you think? Brooke is still pining after Edward and we're still fighting. I'm perfect, thanks for asking Jasper." I snapped.

"Maybe you should call him…" he offered.

"I can't, or I'll yell at him again and I don't want to do that…"

Suddenly I heard Jasper's phone ringing in his pocket and he made a funny face at the screen before answering it.

I could hear the yelling from where I was sitting.

"Hello?"

_"What did you mean she's not doing well?! Bella decided take a break from me! And I'm sure you're with her right now aren't you?"_

"Edward, I think you need to chill out."

_"Why?! Is Bella the only one who gets to yell at someone around here?! I deserve to say what I want too!"_

"I never said you couldn't-"

_"But you're still taking her side over mine, right? And Emmett? You haven't even heard me out! None of you!"_

"Because you're the one who won't return our calls! Except when you need to rant about everything we're doing wrong! We are all just trying to help!"

_"Just don't."_

"Fine."

There wasn't another sound from the receiver. Edward hung up on Jasper... when Jasper did nothing wrong.

Damnit! Now my fight with Edward is causing fights with everyone else.

I wiped the traitor tears that had fallen and stalked to my room, locking the door.

**EPOV**

_11:45 a.m. Sunday Morning_

I dragged my feet down the halls of the building and found myself in front of Brooke's dorm. She seemed like the only person that would make me feel better.

I tried to tell myself it was because she would be able to take my mind off of things, but I knew it was because right now, whether I didn't have the best feelings towards her or not, I needed Bella. Brooke just happened to be the next best thing.

I knocked on the door and it opened immediately.

"Edward!"

"Hey Claire…is Brooke around?"

She pursed her lips and shook her head, "No, but she should be back soon. Would you like to wait?"

"Yeah, sure."

I followed her in and took a seat on Claire's very big and fluffy mushroom chair.

"Listen Edward…I don't really know what's going on and its not my place to know, but I just want to let you know that if you ever needed anyone to listen, I'm here. And I won't tell anyone anything. Not even Quil." She said hesitantly, but gave me a genuine smile.

"Thanks. Maybe we could get together sometime this week. Right now I just want to try and forget about everything." I sighed.

"Alright." She nodded just as the door opened and Brooke entered.

"Hey Claire, I'm gonna go see if Edward is busy. Seth hasn't let me-Oh! Hey Edward!" She gasped.

"Seth hasn't let you what?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure of the answer.

"Nothing, forget about it." She waved dismissively.

"Okay." I shrugged, "Ice cream?" I offered and Brooke nodded vigorously.

We arrived at the ice cream parlor and I scanned the choices. A few flavors stood out to me immediately, triggering a memory from forever ago.

**_Flashback_**

_We got to the ice cream shop and ordered. Rosalie got blueberry cheesecake (blegh!), Alice got rocky road, Bella got death by chocolate, Emmett got plain vanilla, which surprised me, but all he replied was 'gotta love the classics brother'. Jasper got chocolate chip, and I ordered mint chocolate chip (yum!)._

"_How can you eat that?" Bella eyed my ice cream in disgust._

_I just shrugged, "It tastes good."_

_She smiled and rolled her eyes at me._

_Alice leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I wouldn't eat that if you planned on getting a kiss from Bella." then fell into a fit of giggles. Everyone turned and stared at us, but I just mouthed 'crazy' with the little hand gesture causing everyone else to laugh hysterically._

**_End Flashback_**

A throbbing ache in my chest started acting up and I snapped my eyes away from the awaiting cashier and turned towards Brooke.

"I'm just going to go grab us a table. Ice cream sounded better earlier, not so much anymore."

I sat down, now feeling a little nauseous, and rubbed my temples trying to rid myself of the memory. It was so long ago, way before Bella and I were even a couple.

I did the math in my head quickly and realized that was almost exactly two years ago. I had known Isabella Swan for two whole years. I had dated Isabella Swan for almost that long as well. I also hadn't stopped loving Isabella Swan the span of those two years either.

I wasn't going to stop now either.

I frustratingly tore my hand through my hair. There were so many things swimming around in my head, not to mention emotions. Today alone I had gone from hurt to deeply depressed, depressed to frustrated, frustrated to furious, furious to indifferent, and now indifferent to determined.

Bella, you're not getting away from me that easily.

**BPOV**

_12:00 p.m. Sunday Afternoon_

As I sat on my bed, I did the only thing I knew would help. I called Alice.

…and then connected Rosalie to a three-way call.

"Edward just freaked out on Jasper…" I sighed, "Its all my fault. I don't know what to do."

"Bella, you need to talk to Edward." Rosalie said sternly.

"I know, but I can't. First of all, I don't know what to even say to him, and second, its just going to end up in one of us hanging up on the other."

"But at least that's progress." Alice pointed out, "Progress that hasn't been made."

"That's true…" I agreed.

It was silent on all three ends as we sat and thought about _this_.

I didn't even know how to explain it. _This_ was more than just a fight with my boyfriend. It clearly affected everyone I loved and was tearing us apart piece by piece. It wasn't happening fast, but I could tell the difference in the way Emmett, Jasper, and I interacted around the apartment. We weren't as comfortable around each other as we used to be and our easygoing atmosphere had transformed. It was things as subtle as walking into the kitchen to find Emmett fixing himself food like usual, but he had forgone wearing that silly apron or cooking the waffles with stars on them.

Things were just not right.

"Okay. I'll call him or something…" I decided quickly before changing my mind.

"No." Rose protested.

"No?"

"Yeah, no?" Alice echoed.

"You're not calling Edward. You're going to get on the web chat thingy he was so excited about a couple weeks ago and have this conversation face to face."

"Rose, I don't think I-"

"Don't argue with me, Bells. You know it's the right way to do this."

And she was right. Even if the thought of confronting Edward and his anger, hurt, hatred, whatever he felt towards me now, made my stomach churn, I needed to fix this.

Now.

Edward Cullen, watch out. Here I come.

**EPOV**

_1:00 p.m. Sunday Afternoon_

After I had set my mind to talking to Bella tonight, I didn't pay much attention to Brooke. I think she could tell too, because I wasn't listening to anything she talked about and I didn't say much of anything myself.

When I was power walking back to the dorms, Brooke placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me back.

"Where's the fire, turbo?" she joked.

"I have an important call to make." I rambled off quickly and picked up my pace again.

"To who?" she asked as she caught up with me.

"Bella."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" she asked panicked.

"I guess I'll find out." I smiled a little as we rushed through the front doors.

"I don't think you should."

I stopped abruptly and stared at her like she was dumb, "Why?"

"She obviously doesn't want to talk to you…"

I cringed, remembering the message Bella had Brooke give me. When I recovered, I decided I didn't care.

"That doesn't matter. I want to talk to her."

"Just don't do it, Edward. I hate seeing how she hurts you." Brooke cast her eyes downward and her voice was soft.

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair, "Okay, I won't."

Her head snapped up and she had a hint of a smile. "Really?"

"Sure. I'm gonna go up to my room though, see what Seth's doing. I'll catch up with you tomorrow." I waved and turned the corner.

Walking in my room, I noticed Seth wasn't there. Good.

_Sorry Brooke, you can't tell me to not call Bella and expect me to actually listen..._

I held down my first speed dial key and pressed the phone to my ear.

_Rinnngg. Rinnn-_

"Edward?"

**BPOV**

_1:15 p.m. Sunday Afternoon_

"Bella! Don't hang up on me!" Edward's hastened voice spoke.

"Why would I have answered if I was just going to hang up?" I challenged.

"Well you said…never mind. I need to talk to you."

"I need to talk to you too."

"Can I go first?"

"That's fine, but could we…uh, not do this over the phone?" I asked nervously.

"How else were you planning on talking?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"Webcams? …Its okay if you can't or something, but I um… want to see your face when I'm talking to you… If that makes any sense at all…"

"Yeah, yeah, of course."

I logged onto the web chat and immediately saw the little invitation window pop up.

_**ecullen **_**requests video web chat with **_**Bella_Swan**_**. Accept?**

I clicked yes and waited for his picture to appear. In those two seconds, my hands grew clammy and my heart started thundering in my chest.

But when Edward's stunning face came into view, all of that went away.

Despite our current situation, I couldn't hold back the giant smile that spread across my face. "Hi."

His own crooked grin widened, "Hey."

Then like someone had turned off the happiness switch in Edward's brain, his whole demeanor turned serious, "So, I need to talk to you."

"I am aware of that." I said in a businessy-like tone, "What would you like to talk about?"

"I don't really know where to start…" he shrugged.

"That doesn't really help, Edward."

"Like you're one to talk,_ Bella_."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm over here trying to figure out how to fix this and you are completely shutting me out!" he went off.

"I am not!"

"You are too! Don't lie Bella! Brooke gave me your message, it was pretty clear that you want little to do with me."

"I have no clue what you are talking about!!" I wailed.

"Look, that doesn't matter. That's not why I wanted to talk to you. Well, it is, but I wanted to tell you that I'm not going to let you give up us-"

"I didn't, nor will I _ever_ want to give you or our relationship up Edward!"

"Can you let me finish?" he gritted through his teeth.

I set my shoulders back and looked at his face on the screen confidently, "No. Not when you are saying I didn't want anything to do with you."

"You basically did though." His eyes drooped, but his voice held firm.

"I. Did. Not."

"I didn't call to argue." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I didn't answer expecting you to accuse me of things." I snapped back.

His eyes darted to where I'm assuming my picture was on the screen and glared. Yes, glared.

We had an awkward computer stare-down before I finally let up and faced the truth, "We're not going to get anywhere tonight. I'm gonna go. I have a paper to write." I only half lied, there was a paper due in one of my classes, but it wasn't due for a while now.

Edward just grunted in response and continued to stare at the screen. I hovered the pointer over the red 'X' and took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to say.

"I do still love you." I said sincerely and quickly disconnected from the chat.

**EPOV**

_2:00 p.m. Sunday Afternoon_

"I do still love you." She said gently. I opened my mouth to return the words I had been longing to say, but she was gone.

I shut my laptop with a huff and flung myself on the bed. I was even more confused now than ever.

_Bella just said she loved me and seemed truly lost when I mentioned she said she wanted a break. Something isn't right…_

**A/N: No cliffy, just like I promised some of you :)**

**-**

**Favorite?**

_"…And then she hung up on him. I've got to hand it to B, she really laid in on him."_

**"That's my girl!"**

**-**

**New Teams Created By Readers For Readers :)**

**Team Edward's-an-idiot,Brooke's-a-bitch,and Bella's-my-idol**  
**Team Long distance relationships are hard, but can turn out stronger than others in the end**  
**Team Brooke Stop Being So Freaking Smug As Edward Loves Bella Not You And He Is Bella's Boyfriend Not Your's! In Your Face, Loser!**  
**Team Edward better haul ass and fix this shit with Bella quick**  
**Team Edward is still sexy but he's a fucking retard for being blind, go Bella for snapping and telling how she feels about Brooke who should go die and rot in hell, and Emeleigh is an amazing writer**

**You guys are getting pretty violent...lol**

**-**

**Reviewers will receive a teaser for next chapter :) Just as a thank you for waiting so paitiently (or waiting impatiently :P) for an update.**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Emeleigh**


	16. Ugh!

EPOV

I snatched my phone out of my pocket and angrily dialed Bella's number.

"Hello?"

"Bella, I can't do this anymore." I said bluntly.

"Wh-What do you mean?" she stuttered.

"I mean I'm sick of fighting with you and feeling like crap every single day. I'm over it!" I practically yelled into the phone.

"And you don't think I feel like crap every _second_ too?!" she sneered back.

"Ugh! We're never going to work this out!"

She didn't say anything back.

"Bella?" I asked a little more softly.

"Yeah, Edward?"

"I think its over for us..." I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"Me too..." she agreed.

We said our goodbyes and I silently disconnected from her call.

I was a single man.

I was _not_ Bella's anymore.

_Hmm...I wonder where Brooke is..._

**l**  
** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
**V**

**S**  
**C**  
**R**  
**O**  
**L**  
**L**

**D**  
**O**  
**W**  
**N**  
**!**

** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
** l**  
**V**

**HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!**

**:D**

**No, bella and Edward are not broken up. This was just my cruel idea of a funny april fools day joke ;P**  
**I know, I'm horrible. But I couldn't pass up the oppurtunity...**

**Remember this is _NOT_ a real chapter! I repeat: _THIS IS NOT A REAL CHAPTER!_**

**I will update with a real one soon ;)**

**-**

**I love you guys! Especially because you put up with stuff like this! lmao**

**Have a great Easter weekend!**

**xo,Emeleigh**


	17. Hurt

**A/N: You guys are such good sports :)  
I got some hilarious reviews about the last 'chapter'**

**Just to be clear, this one _is_ a real chapter! :)**

**Go!**

**BPOV**

_2 ½ weeks later_

To say Edward and I had progressed in solving our problems was a big fat lie. We hadn't talked in over two weeks. Come to think of it, the last time we did talk was our fight over the web cam chat.

_At least I told him I loved him before signing off…_

I shook my head to clear the thoughts and refocused on my assignment I desperately needed to finish before tomorrow.

I dug through my book bag that sat on the chair in front of me, looking for a pen. I found a blue one and started marking grammatical errors on the rough draft of my paper. The hustle and bustle of the commons area I was in started to distract me. Soon, I found myself clicking the end of the pen to the beat of the music playing softly in the speakers overhead.

Deciding that I wasn't going to get anything done at the moment, I packed up my bag and left. The air outside was a bit chilly, but nothing a scarf couldn't help. It was November and I would be traveling home in about a week for Thanksgiving with Emmett and Rosalie.

Jasper would swing down to Seattle and pick up Alice while Em and I got Rose from Spokane.

Edward would be driving himself down the day after we all arrived… or so I had heard from the other Cullen brothers.

A single tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly swiped it away.

_I _should be arriving a day later than everyone else _with_ Edward.

It hurt so unbelievably bad having absolutely no contact with Edward and only hearing bits and pieces about how he was doing from Emmett and Jasper, and the occasional comment from Renee when she had spoken to Esme.

It felt like someone had punched a hole through my chest.

I barely slept at all anymore, unless my weird sleeping habits had caught up with me and I just crashed. This was good for my academics, seeing that I got way more work done and was ahead in all of my classes. But being an overachiever didn't mend my damaged heart.

Renee, Charlie, Esme, and Carlisle all knew Edward and I weren't on the best terms right now. They all tried to help with offering advice back in October, right after the last time Edward and I spoke, but somehow I knew we both felt like this couldn't be resolved over the phone or computer no matter how much we tried.

Emmett and Jasper pretty much stayed out of it after Edward went off on Jazz over the phone and said to not try and help anymore. Things were still tense and uncomfortable around the apartment, but we tried to ignore that. Rosalie and Alice called me every night and let me cry and blubber about how much I missed Edward. Apparently both had talked to him recently, but I didn't care to know what he said in fear of hearing something I most definitely did not want to know.

Brooke continued to text me randomly, always with a 'Hey! What's up?' or 'Whatcha doin?', but I never replied. I had to completely remove the web cam from my computer because little windows would always pop up asking me if I wanted to video chat with _Brookerzzz_.

Hell no, I didn't want to.

Jacob, Jared, and Irina had asked me to come hang out with them a few times over the past two weeks. I usually politely declined, but a couple of times I had accepted and we just hung out in the boys' apartment while Jacob challenged me to videogames or they all recited lame jokes in an effort to get me to crack a smile.

One time I vividly remember was when I tried playing matchmaker with Jacob. I figured since I was the master at hooking Jared and Irina up, I could find Jacob his own girl. We set up camp in the café at a table in the back corner, so I could scope out all the girls, then when I found one suitable enough for my dear Jacob he would have to walk over and flirt with her. The rules were, if he liked her he had to ask for her number and call her later to set up a date.

He ended up receiving about three numbers, but all the girls were total duds on the follow up dates. According to Jacob, 'They just didn't have that _wow_ factor he was looking for.'

Other than that very small amount of short-lived, fun moments, my life pretty much revolved around class and writing papers.

I cast my head down as a gust of wind whirled by and threw my hair into a ponytail so it didn't fly in my face. I started approaching the main parking lot in front of the college's office and heard a distinctive voice that made me whip my head in its direction so fast that I got a burning sensation in my neck.

"You better hurry up! My hair is getting all stuck in my lip gloss!"

Then another chimed in that was equally familiar, "Quit your whining and help me with your bag! What did you pack in here? Bricks?"

…Followed by a final voice I had never heard before, "Both of you just shut up and come on so we can find this place!"

There before me, only about five meters away was Rosalie picking a piece of hair off her lips, Alice dragging a duffle across the ground, and a very tan girl studying a piece of paper closely.

"ROSALIE?! ALICE?!" I squealed and charged for them.

"BELLA!!" they cheered and ran for me.

"What are you guys doing here?" I gasped, so extremely happy I could start singing.

"Surprise!" Rose smiled and hugged me, "We decided it was too long until the holidays to see you so, here we are."

"And we brought along a new friend! You remember me telling you about Leah, she goes to Central with me and provided our transportation." Alice giggled and motioned to the car parked behind them.

Leah approached us and offered a hand, "Leah Waters. I have heard a heck of a lot about you, Swan." She chuckled.

"I believe it." I sighed exasperatedly and let out a short laugh.

"Do Jasper and Emmett know you are here?" I looked over at my best friends' excited faces.

"No! That's the whole point of a surprise Bells." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Well then lets go surprise them shall we?" I stole Rosalie's heavy bag from Alice as they got the rest of their luggage and lead the way to our apartment.

When we stopped in front of the door I sent down the duffle in my hand and motioned for the three of them to wait there, then I slipped inside and left the door cracked open.

Jasper was in the kitchen pouring a glass of water and Emmett was zoned out in front of the TV.

"Hey guys…" I said giddily. It took all that I had to not scream out the surprise yet.

"Hey Bells." Jasper smiled and Emmett waved dismissively from the couch.

"So… I found something interesting on my way back from the commons…" I hinted.

"Really? And what would that be?" Jasper smirked, sensing my excited mood.

I sauntered over to the door and grabbed the handle, "Oh nothing… only ALICE, ROSALIE, AND LEAH!!" I screamed.

They all spilled in through the doorway with the cheesiest grins plastered on their faces.

Although, it turned into hysterical laughter because Jasper was bent over choking back up his water he decided to take a sip of right when I opened the door. And I don't think Emmett had even heard me because he was still watching the TV intently.

While Alice ran over and tended to Jasper's…injury, Rose stomped over to the couch and smacked Emmett on the back of the head.

"Bella announces that I have just arrived and you don't even bother to turn off the damn television?!"

I swear if Emmett was a cartoon, his eyes would bug out of his head and then get big read hearts in them.

"SUGAR LIPS!" he hollered and grabbed her around the waist as he flung her over the couch and into his lap.

Rosalie only slapped him again, "What did I tell you about that nickname?"

"But doesn't it sound better in person? You couldn't really get a good feel for it over the phone…" he argued.

She just laughed and snuggled into his side. I looked back over at Alice and Jasper and found them in pouring Jazz another glass of water since he choked all his out while talking to Leah, their hands clasped together.

Suddenly I felt empty again. The three girls had managed to distract me enough where I could forget about the gaping hole in my chest, but seeing loving couples interact brought me back to reality.

I didn't have enough time to dwell on that though, because Jared and Jacob came bounding into the room.

"What is going on in here?! You guys are _loud_." Jared snickered.

Jacob nodded in agreement but stopped short and froze once he glanced in the kitchen.

"Jake? J? Jacob!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face. He flinched as he was brought back down to Earth and blushed.

He _blushed_.

I followed his line of vision and looked behind myself.

Ah, Leah. _Looks like my little matchmakee has found the girl that possesses the oh-so-important 'wow' factor._

I patted him on the back and faced the rest of the group, "Jacob and Jared, this is Alice, Jasper's girlfriend, Rosalie, Emmett's girlfriend, and Leah, Alice's friend from Central Washington University."

Jacob strode forward, hands in his pockets, head tilted down, and stood in front of Leah, "Hi, I'm Jacob." He fumbled with his hand to free it of his pocket and shakily offered his right hand to Leah. She snorted a little at his nervousness but smiled brightly as she shook it.

"Are your hands always that sweaty?" she asked with her nose scrunched up.

Jacob smiled sheepishly and wiped them down the front of his jeans.

_…Smooth, man._

**EPOV**

Two weeks.

_Two_ weeks.

Two _weeks_!

Actually it's been two weeks and three days. Yeah, of course I've been counting.

Two weeks and three days that I have been Edward minus my Bella.

And it freaking hurt. It hurt worse than having my abnormally huge wisdom teeth pulled out, it hurt worse than being sat on by Emmett, it hurt worse than anything.

After the last time I spoke with her, I found myself getting lost in space randomly throughout the day replaying her last words in my head.

_I do still love you._

Bella had sounded so conflicted when she spoke. Her tone was more exhausted than anything and the frustration towards me was evident as well. But more than either of those, I could truly hear the genuine, caring, loving Bella I knew so well.

Thinking of that would only push me into another round of some of the best memories Bella and I shared.

The first time I admitted my feelings for her…

"_Bella, I have something I need to tell you…" I said as I looked straight into her eyes._

"_Okay…shoot." She replied shakily._

"_I have had the biggest crush on you since that day at the carnival. You have no idea how much I wish I was Tyler right now. Alice told me you heard me talking to Rose and Emmett in Macy's last weekend, when I was telling them about the girl I wanted to ask to this dance. Bella, that was you. It has always been you."_

_She was speechless. Bella just stared into my eyes._

"_Say something." I whispered and wiped a tear from her cheek._

_"I-I…I want to be with you too Edward!" She flung her arms around my neck and held me as tight as she could, still crying softly._

The second time I admitted my feelings to her…

_I was finally off the clock and I sprinted out the front doors. Bella was sitting at our picnic table, twisting a strand of her hair in her fingers._

"_Hey." I walked over to her._

"_Oh! You scared me!" she gasped._

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to…" I replied sheepishly._

"_It's ok."_

_We sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before she spoke._

"_I forgive you Edward." She smiled softly looking right into my eyes. "I know I should have sooner, but I wasn't sure if I was ready…I'm sorry about that…"_

"_Don't be." I gave her my crooked grin I knew she loved. "I'm just glad you did."_

_I walked over to her side of the table and pulled her into a tight embrace. She locked her arms around my neck and whispered into my shoulder._

"_I missed this. I missed you. I missed us." _

_"Me too Bella." I kissed the top of her forehead and we stayed there the rest of the night, just holding each other, never wanting to let go._

After she woke up in the hospital from being pushed down the stairs…

_Bella wriggled from my grasp and scooted over to the far side of her bed and patted the empty space._

_"Bella, this bed is hardly big enough." I was afraid I would hurt her even more somehow. I tried to argue… But it was a lie; there was nothing more I wanted to do than hold her in my arms again._

_"There is enough room for two of you Edward! Come here now." She demanded._

_Well I can't say no to that…_

_I climbed into the bed and wrapped my arms protectively around her._

Our playful banter…

"_Hey." She smiled and gave me a really quick peck on the lips. _

_I gave her a give-me-a-real-kiss look and she scrunched up her face._

"_You're all sweaty, and it's a little gross…no offence." She smiled back sweetly._

"_None taken, but that doesn't mean I'll accept that as an excuse…" I snatched her up in my sweaty arms._

"_Ewwww!! Gross Edward!!" I set her back down when she started kicking my shins and she had the most adorable, grossed out expression on her face._

"_See, now you're sweaty too." I puckered up, closed my eyes, and leaned in for a kiss._

_Instead of Bella's soft lips, the palm of her hand shoved my face away. "Nice try Cullen, but that kind of behavior will get you on the 'no kisses at all' list." She smirked._

"_But…" she covered my mouth again._

_"I don't want to hear it Edward. You need to be responsible for your actions. Now I'm going to go back to my seat. Have a good second half." Her face scrunched up again as she wiped the sweaty hand that was covering my mouth onto the leg of her jeans._

I smacked my forehead and tried to pay attention to the lecture that was going on in one of my classes. I really needed to be careful about taking trips down memory lane, one time I actually zoned out for a good hour just thinking about Bella.

My class was dismissed so then I headed straight for my Volvo, hopped in, and drove away.

There wasn't any particular destination I was traveling to, I just felt like a drive while spending quality time with myself. Which had been happening a lot recently. I still had all my friends, but I barely made plans to hang out with them. They knew I wasn't really the normal Edward right now, so they kept their distance.

Of course, I saw Seth all the time since I lived with him. He tried his best to not get involved in the situation, but I could see his want to give me his opinion. I never asked for it though. We usually just carried on like none of this was happening and things were like they used to be, despite my sullen mood.

Quil forced me to play duct tape bowling in the hallway with him weekly, claiming I needed some sort of fun. It became the highlight of my week where I could act like a total goofball and freely smile, my problems forgotten… until I thought about how much more fun this would be is Bella was playing.

Claire and I had had a really good talk the day after my last fight with Bella. I told her everything from the beginning about how things were perfectly fine until right around the time she received my surprise package. Then about her feelings towards Brooke, and finally Bella's denial to the message Brooke gave me.

Ultimately, Claire shared the same views as Seth. They felt Brooke was bad news and thought it was pretty clear that she had feelings for me. I couldn't see the things they saw though. Yes, she was probably my best female friend here and we did lots of things together, but Brooke had never shown any signs of wanting to be more than friends with me that I knew of.

I listened to them though, and shied away from Brooke's company. If it was going to help me get Bella back, I was all for it. We still texted some here and there, but hadn't hung out or anything just as long as I hadn't talked to Bells.

I had even started to lose contact with my mother, which never happened. She always had news about Bella from Renee and it was just too hard to hear about her. I had really only talked to her long enough to let my parents know about my arrangements for Thanksgiving break. The hospital had me scheduled for residency duties the day after we were out for the holiday so I had to stay in the city an extra day to work.

From what I had gathered, Jasper and Alice would be arriving sometime in the evening on the 19th, Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella would get there super early in the morning on the 20th, and I was last to return the evening on the 21st.

Apparently when Alice and Rosalie got the word that I was coming back to Forks so much later than the rest of them, they took it as a way for me to hide.

_"Edward Anthony Cullen! You can't put off facing your relationship issues for forever!" Alice screeched before I even had a chance to say hello._

_"Hey Alice, its good to hear from you…" I grumbled._

_"Edward, why don't you want to talk to her?" she asked more softly._

_"I do. Look, I'm coming a day later because I have residency work, not because I'm avoiding anybody." I sighed._

_"Oh. Well, good. I swear if you two keep this up over break I'm going to lock you in a closet until it is resolved!" she huffed._

We talked for a little while longer after that. It was nice catching up with Alice once she changed the subject to lighter things.

Then there was the call from Rosalie…

_"Before you say anything, I am not avoiding Bella by coming back later than the rest of you. And we will be having a conversation when I arrive to work all this crap out." I hurried to say before she started yelling._

_"Glad we're clear on that. Bye, Edward." She said curtly before hanging up._

Rose was clearly on Team Bella about this whole thing.

I glanced down at the clock on my radio and noticed I had been driving around for long enough. I pulled back into my parking space once I got back to the school and dragged my feet to my dorm to go lay on my bed and think some more.

**BPOV**

After the initial excitement of our guests died down the eight of us, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Jacob, Leah, Jared, and myself, all sat around the living room to watch a movie.

Rosalie chose Runaway Bride 'because Richard Gere is sexy.'

"Are you serious, Rosie?" Emmett gaped at her.

"Yes I am, _Emmie_."

"But he's so old!"

"You can be old and sexy at the same time…" she pointed a finger at him, "You just wait. When we're all wrinkly and gray-haired I'll still call you sexy. Let me know if you think its weird then."

Emmett was so adorable when his mouth turned up into a goofy grin and he agreed with Rosalie at the though of them growing old together.

_…and there goes the pain in my chest again…_

**EPOV**

_BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!_

I looked down at my phone and saw my mother was calling me.

"Hello?"

"Edward! I finally got a hold of you." She laughed and I immediately felt guilty for ignoring all those phone calls earlier.

"Yeah, sorry mom. I had a huge test to study for and shut off my phone." I lied badly.

"That's okay dear. How was the test?"

"Fine."

"Good. Anyway, I called to ask you what kind of pie you want for Thanksgiving. I'm taking votes; so far its three for apple and two for cherry."

"Who all did you ask?" It should have been only Emmett, Jasper, and my dad that have voted.

"Well I called to get your brother's opinions and Alice and Rosalie were with them so they cast their own votes and invited themselves over for dessert on Thanksgiving Day." My mother chuckled.

I was slightly confused, "Wait, wait, wait. Alice and Rosalie are _with_ them?"

"Oh yeah! Em told me they drove up there with one of Alice's friends to surprise… uh Bella and the boys…" She told me hesitantly.

"Oh." Awesome. All my friends were together right now and I was hearing about it from my mom.

Esme didn't say anything else and we sat there in an awkward silence.

Finally, I cleared my throat, "Um, I vote cherry and that's what Bella likes, so I'm sure she'll want cherry too." I said before even realizing it.

"So Bella's coming for dessert as well?" she asked hopeful.

"Oh, um… I don't know. Probably not." I sighed, dejected.

"Edward, I thought you two were working things out." My mother didn't know the lapse of time Bella and I had gone without any form of communication.

"We are. We're just doing it our way, so please stay out of it." I pled.

"You know I have half a mind to agree with Alice's plan to lock you two in a closet…" she grumbled before saying goodbye.

**BPOV**

By the time the movie was over, everyone but Jasper and I had fallen asleep.

"Bella…" He whispered and nudged my foot.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?" he asked with a worried expression. I guess I hadn't done as good of a job as I thought hiding my pain during the movie.

I offered a small smile that wasn't very convincing and nodded, "I'll see you in the morning." I whispered before maneuvering around Jared's large body that was beside me.

Jasper lifted Alice into his arms and disappeared in his room after almost falling over Emmett and Rose who where sprawled across the floor. I giggled when I saw Rosalie sleepily cover her hand over his mouth so he would breathe out of his nose and stop snoring.

I had to climb over Leah and Jacob to get to my room. They were only beside each other on the beanbags, but I noticed their feet tangled together and smiled at the thought of Jacob finally finding a girl.

Now all I had to do was get _my_ boy back…

**A/N: It sounds like Bella and Edward are wearing down with this whole 'fight' phase. Hmm... ;)**

**-**

**New Teams from reviewers! (from chapter 14 and the fake chapter)**

**-Team Brooke should go fuck herself because Edward and Bella belong together and Edward needs to get his ass to Bella and explain himself or else!  
-Team Brooke, go play in traffic **_(lmao)  
_**-Team Brooke Should Be Killed By A Vampire  
-Team Edward should realise that Brooke is lying to him and crawl back to Bella after telling Brooke to get a life and stop trying to break up happy couples!  
-Team I'd-Like-To-Smash-Brooke's-Head-In-With-A-Tray  
-Team-Brooke-should-go-jump-off-a-sodding-cliff-and-leave-Edward-and-Bella-alone!  
-Team Edward-and-Bella-belong-together-and-Brooke-is-no-where-near-that-nor-will-that-bum-ever-be-so-she-can-go-fall-into-a-mile-long-well-and-live-with-a-worm-now-there-are-two-worms-in-the-well!  
-Team Brooke can go suck it &Edward will never love her, because he loves Bella!  
-Team the only reason I wait paciently for this story is because the author is amazing **_(thanks :) )  
_**-Team Emeleigh-Is-Evil-For-Pranking-Us **_(bahaha!)  
_**-Team Extremely-Glad-That-Wasn't-A-Real-Chapter**

-

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Emeleigh**


	18. Progress

**A/N: Alright everybody. This is what we've been waiting for.**

**Its... THE PROLOGUE!! ****Dun Dun Duuuuuuun!**

**Proceed :)**

**BPOV**

_Ee-urr! Ee-urr! Ee-urr!_

What the hell?

_Ee-urr! Ee-urr! Ee-urr!_

I rubbed my eyes and willed them to open so I could figure out what all the bouncing was coming from and why my bed was making funny sounds.

My blurred vision cleared and I saw Alice hopping around on my bed.

"Your springs are _so_ noisy!" she said, continuing to jump.

"Uh." I grunted and shut my eyes again.

"Oh no you don't! Get up! Rose and I came here to see you and we expect to spend time with a conscious Bella." Alice grabbed my feet from under the covers and started to pull me off the bed by my toes.

"Ahh! Alice, that hurts!" I whined.

She just giggled as I dropped to the floor.

"Okay, now that I have you awake and out of bed, I laid out your clothes for today on your desk. Get dressed and meet us in the kitchen."

_Bossy little clothing picker-outer! _

_Man, I missed Alice._

I waited until Alice exited my bedroom to stand up, when I did I about had a heart attack.

Posted around my room were all the pictures of Edward I had removed, along with various things he had given me over the years brought out of their hiding spot.

"ALICE!!" I hollered and stomped into the hallway.

"Yes, Bella?" she asked sweetly.

"Where did you find all that stuff?"

"Under your bed."

"Why did get them out?!"

"Because you're being stubborn." She said and walked away.

_Bossy little Edward-reminderer! _

_Man, I miss him._

**EPOV**

"STRIKE!! That's the third one in a row, man. I'm on a roll today!" I said smugly as I walked down the length of our 'bowling lane' to set the coke bottles back up.

"No way, this is _my_ game. You can't be the champion at arcade basketball games and duct-tape bowling! Plus I invented it!" Quil huffed as he lined up his shot.

"Actually, I think I am beating you both right now." Claire chimed in as she looked over our score sheet.

Quil and I turned to her and gave the 'we'll-see-about-that-this-game-isn't-over-yet' look.

I watched as Quil carefully released the wadded up tape and the ball effortlessly take out all ten bottles.

"Looks like that's another strike for the QA!" he boasted.

"The QA?" Claire asked.

"Quil Arterra!"

"Don't make up nicknames for yourself." She chuckled as she shook her head in shame.

"Its better than Eddie." I told them, shooting both of my friends pointed glances because they called me that.

"Hey! I like calling you that." Brooke's voice emerged from the end of the hallway.

It got awkwardly quiet when the three of us realized who was here now.

"Yeah _Eddie_, we like calling you that so quit trying to get us to stop. It's not happening." Claire laughed after the silence was too much to bear.

"So, who's winning?" Brooke asked as she came and sat down by Claire on the wall.

"I am. Quil and Edward are tied for second."

Claire got up and resumed her turn, but we were all very aware of Brooke being near us. It wasn't as much fun as it had been earlier.

"I'm cold." She said suddenly, "Can I borrow one of your sweatshirts, Edward?"

"Yeah, sure." I waved dismissively, too focused on aiming the ball in the middle of the pins.

I was standing back watching Quil calculate his angles to throw when Brooke came back.

My breath caught in my throat and all I could do was stare at her.

"What?" She laughed nervously, tugging on the hoodie.

"That's Bella's." I nearly growled.

**BPOV**

It took me a tad longer than necessary to get ready because I had to take time to re-remove all the Edward reminders.

Then, I had to re-do my make-up because I bawled the entire time I was shoving all the things back in the box under my bed.

About and hour and a half later, I joined everyone else in the kitchen.

"Good morning." I tried to sound lighter than I felt.

"Mornin' B." Emmett gave me a reassuring pat on the back.

"Okay! Grab some breakfast, and then let's get going!" Rosalie cheered.

"Where are we going?"

"The recreation center."

"Oh, now I understand why Alice picked out gym clothes." I said, gesturing to my outfit. I was really confused as to why Alice would pick out my most worn clothes and tennis shoes.

As I was pouring a bowl of cereal, I looked around and noticed we were missing someone. "Where's Leah?"

Alice got a huge grin on her face and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, "She's spending the day with Jacob!"

"No way!" I gasped.

"Yes way!"

**EPOV**

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind me borrowing it." Brooke shrugged and sat back down on her space by the wall.

"Can you just go find a different sweatshirt? Please." I sighed and frustratingly ran a hand through my hair.

"But all the other ones are bigger. I like this one, it fits well." She pouted.

I had never disliked Brooke so much in my life.

Claire and Quil sat back silently and watched our exchange. I was sure I was going to flip out any second now. Only Bella looks good in that sweatshirt. _Only Bella _should wear it.

Just as I was about to storm in my room and find a different hoodie for her myself, Claire spoke up, "My jacket is in Quil's room. You can wear that, Brooke."

I looked over at Claire and silently thanked her. She just smiled back knowingly.

Brooke on the other hand, didn't look too happy.

**BPOV**

"Okay, Swan. It'll be Brandon and I against you." Rosalie said seriously as she dribbled the ball.

"Um, are you guys really sure you want to play basketball?"

"Of course! First of all, we know you love it, and second, I'm sure between Rose and me we could put up some fair competition." Alice said enthusiastically.

"Okay then. I just want to do a couple practice shots first." It had been like three months since I'd even touched a basketball.

"Actually I have a better idea!" Rose shouted out, "We should make this like a twenty questions. For every basket you make, you have to answer a question. You can have more than twenty questions though, and you can't purposefully miss a basket." She pointed at me.

"Yeah!" Alice agreed instantly. _They're definitely up to something…_"Are you in Bells?"

"Sure."

"I'll go first!" Rose stood right in front of the basket and hopped up, practically just tossing the ball in.

_Yup, they planned this._

"Okay, anybody got a question for me?" she smirked.

"I do!" I said quickly, "Do you really hate the nickname Sugar Lips?"

"No, I think it's cute." She laughed and moved out of the way for Alice.

Alice went for a three pointer but missed, so it was my turn. I lined up my shot, tucked in my elbow, and released. The ball whooshed in smoothly and I smiled at my inability to forget how to play.

"Alright, Bella! What are you most excited about for Thanksgiving?" Alice asked.

It was an innocent enough question and I should have lied and said the food or being home, but I blurted out the first thing that entered in my head. "Seeing Edward."

I blushed and ducked my head down so I didn't have to look at my two best friends' freaking huge grins.

The game progressed and it seemed like I was the only one making my shots. I'm sure that was what their plan was, considering the questions I was asked.

"Why did you take down all the pictures in your room?"

"It hurt to look at them."

"Have you talked to Edward yet?"

"No."

"Why are things weird between you, Emmett, and Jazz now?"

"The whole situation with Edward makes things uncomfortable, I guess."

I could have lied or refused to answer their questions, but I knew my girls were only trying to understand things better so they could try and help. It was annoying, but still sweet and caring.

After our game of 'Get information about Edward and Bella's problems' the three of us went and got lunch in the café where we caught Jacob and Leah walking out.

"Well hello you two." I smiled and nudged Jake's arm.

"Hi guys." Leah waved back.

"Are you having fun?" Rose smiled as she noticed their clasped hands.

"Of course." Jacob said quickly and then ducked his head, pulling Leah along behind him.

During lunch I listened to Rose and Alice explain their projects at school and the gossip from their separate friend groups.

We made our way back to the apartment where Emmett and Jasper were getting ready because they planned to take the girls out tonight. They all kept apologizing for leaving me alone tonight since Leah would still be with Jacob, but there was no need to. They were all happy couples that wanted to spend time with their boyfriend/girlfriend and Alice and Rose live hours away. It was more than understandable that they get a night for themselves.

_Lord knows I've wanted to spend one night with Edward, just him and me for what feels like forever._

6:00 p.m. rolled around and I took pictures of the couples since they were all so nice and dressed up. I received another round of apologies and hugs as they left and then I was alone.

I decided to make the best of my free time while popping some popcorn and breaking out the chocolate syrup to eat during a movie.

I decided to watch _Runaway Bride_ again because it was still in the DVD player and I wasn't really paying attention to it last night.

The movie started and I had the chocolate popcorn in my lap and a glass of milk on the coffee table in front of me. I snuggled into the corner of the couch and watched Julia Roberts escape from her third attempted wedding on a horse.

Richard Gere continued to dig through Julia's character's past to figure out why she left all these men at the alter and I started to feel bad for her. It was obvious that she was scared and even more obvious she didn't truly love these guys.

Then Julia let Richard follow her around so he could get the real story on all of her messed up wedding ceremonies and it got to the part where she was showing him all her engagement rings.

Richard started to make fun of how they proposed and sat down, looking thoughtfully into space. Julia asked him how he proposed and he admitted it wasn't all that great, but if he had to do it again, he would say:

_"I guarantee that we'll have tough times, and I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us will want to get out. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life, because I know in my heart you're the one for me."_

The way they looked at each other, you could tell that that was when things changed for the two of them. That was the point where they crossed the line from being enemies to potential lovers.

I started to cry.

Not because my situation was similar to theirs at all, but because the words Richard's character spoke were true.

Edward and I were going through tough times, and at some point one or both of us will want to get out of this relationship. Is that now?

Has Edward had time to think over this past two weeks that he doesn't want to be with me anymore? Does he want to get out?

What if my isolation from him just made him and Brooke become closer?!

At one point Edward did talk about how he imagined me being his. How I was the one for him. Does he still feel that way? Does he still imagine me walking towards him in a white dress, with all our friends and families watching us become husband and wife?

My tears started to flow faster and heavier. I had convinced myself Edward didn't want to be with me any longer.

It was probably true.

**EPOV**

I wasn't in the mood to play anymore after that little episode so I retreated back to my room. Brooke tried to follow, but thankfully Claire distracted her.

I ended up falling asleep and waking up hours later to my phone ringing.

"Hel-lo?" I yawned into the receiver.

"Edward! I'm calling again about the pies." My mother giggled.

"What about them?"

"Well, Emmett and Jasper are fighting over which one I'm going to make since the score is tied. They have both given me their arguments for why their choice of pie is the best choice and I have called to hear your opinion." She chuckled.

"How about you make both? Maybe?" I asked in hopes she would. I really liked any kind of pie. I mean, its _pie_.

"That's the best idea I've heard yet!" She laughed, slightly resembling a maniac.

"Mom? You okay?"

"Oh yes, yes, _yes_! I'm just so excited for my boys to come home, that's all! …And Renee and I may have found a bottle of champagne while your father and I were over at the Swan's house for dinner…"

"Alright. I'm gonna go, call me back when you're sober." I teased, while trying to avoid any information about one particular Swan.

"Edward!" she gasped, "I am not drunk!"

"I know mom, I was just joking. I love you, bye."

"Buh-bye dear." She giggled once again.

I shook my head and called my brothers' apartment phone so I could give them the good news about our double desserts since they never answered their cells anyway.

I didn't give them a chance to say anything, I was too excited to tell them, "Guess what I just did?! Yours truly just convinced mom to make _two_ pies!"

**BPOV**

The apartment phone started to ring, so I stopped the movie and tried to reign in all the sniffling I was doing so the person would actually be able to understand me.

I picked up the phone, but was cut off by a deep, smooth voice. "Guess what I just did?! Yours truly just convinced mom to make _two_ pies!"

"Ed-Edward?" I gasped/stuttered/sniffled.

"Oh… hi Bella." The lightness in his voice disappeared, and it was replaced with unpleasantness.

He doesn't want to talk to me.

"Uhm… Jasper and Emmett aren't here right now, but I'll… uh tell them you called…" I tried to sound normal, but even I could hear the strain in my voice.

He didn't say anything back, so I assumed that was my cue to hang up.

"Bye, Edward." I whispered and moved to set the phone in its cradle.

"Wait! Bella, _wait_!" I heard his frantic voice yell.

"Yeah?"

"Its been two weeks and four days." He sighed.

"I know."

"You didn't want to try and talk to me? At all?"

This is where our communication goes bad every single time. Every time Edward tries to blame me for our lack of progressing through these problems, I just lose it. I mean, can you blame me?

"You didn't try either, Edward." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. We weren't going to get anywhere if I snapped yet again.

"I know."

"I told you I loved you before I logged off. Its not like I ever said 'leave me alone for good.'" I sneered.

"But you did!" he yelled back.

"When?! Please tell me when I said all these things you keep claiming; about how I don't want to be with you anymore?! Its. Not. True!"

"When you had Brooke give me that message. You told her to tell me, 'I think we need a break from each other and not to call you or anything.' Now I don't know what that sounds like to you, but to me it practically means you want nothing to do with me or _us_ anymore!"

"She said that?!"

"Yes."

"Well I think you need to look into how great of a friend your little Brooke is because that is not what I said _at all_."

"Why would Brooke lie to me?" he challenged.

"Why would_ I_ lie to you? Why would I tell you I think we need a break?! I _LOVE_ YOU, EDWARD! Do you not understand my feelings for you?!" I seethed.

"Bella…"

"Do you want to know what I really said? No, don't answer that because I'm going to tell you whether you want to hear it or not. I said, _exactly_: 'I still love you even if you're being a royal jerk right now and that I will call you when I'm ready. I just need a little bit of time to cool off.' That doesn't sound like anything your best friend said does it?"

"Royal jerk, huh?" he asked, sounding disgusted.

"Well that's a hell of a lot better than what I think of you right now!"

"Really?"

"Really, _really_." I said, pronunciating each syllable. I didn't even recognize that I had used our little saying that was meant for cute, happy, loving moments between us.

"I still don't understand why you hate her so much…" he grumbled.

"Seriously?! I would hope that was obvious by now. Can you not tell that she _wants_ you?! She has feelings for you! Feelings that _I_ feel for _you_! And its not like I don't feel threatened or anything, I mean the girl isn't beautiful and there's not the advantage that you will get to see her everyday, unlike me!" I siad sarcastically.

"I don't see how you can say all that when _dear Jacob _is fawning over you like a school boy!"

"Don't even start with me on that! You want to know where Jacob is right now?! He's on a date with Alice's friend Leah! Leah, who he has been falling head over heels for _all day long_! There has never and will _never_ be a thing with Jacob!"

"Then why do you spend so much time with him?!"

"I don't! And if I do, I'm with your brothers and his roommate watching them play videogames and occasionally joining in! We're not going off on little ice cream dates!" I knew it was a cheap shot, but hey, it was true.

"So nothing ever happened between you and Jacob?" he asked, half-accusingly, half-curious.

"No! I repeat: there has never, nor will there ever be a thing with Jacob! I don't know how many times I have to tell you that!" I huffed.

"Well there's nothing going on between me and Brooke either!"

"I never said there was. I said that _she_ wants something to be going on between you two."

"You don't know that." He argued.

"The hell I don't! I don't even know the girl that well and I could already tell she was thinking of ways to get rid of me! How do you explain the message she twisted into sounding like I was breaking up with you?!"

"I don't know!"

"Well you better figure it out soon, Edward. I can't do this anymore."

"You can't do what?"

"Fight with you and then go two weeks without any connections with you! It's tearing me apart!" I started to sob again.

"Bella… don't cry…" he sighed.

"What else is there to do? Yell some more?!"

"I just… _fuck!_… Bella, I can't lose you."

"Yeah, well it sure seems like I'm easily substituted. Why wouldn't you be able to break up with me?" I cried. I knew it was a sore subject to bring up, but we had already been arguing and shouting at each other, I felt it was as good an opportunity as any to find out how he truly felt.

"Damnit, Bella! I wasn't trying to replace you with Brooke!"

"Then what _were_ you trying to do?"

"She reminds me of you, okay? When I'm with Brooke all I think about is _you_! I know that's weird and probably not a good thing, but I feel just a little closer to you when I'm with her. She's not your substitute, she's more like your... understudy." He tried to explain.

"Alright… let me ask you this. If I told you Jacob was your 'understudy' would you feel any better about me hanging out with him? All the time?!"

"No."

"Exactly my point."

"So where does this leave us?" he asked after a few minutes of silence between us.

"I'll see you in Forks on the 21st and speak with you then. We're not going to keep playing this stupid game of phone fights." I decided.

"Can I text you until them though? Just to hear from you?"

"I guess." I didn't know if it was such a good idea, we may start fighting again, but it was worth a shot.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later Bella."

"Goodbye, Edward."

I moved top hang the phone up, but was stopped by his voice again.

"I _do_ understand how much you love me. And I can guarantee I love you a billion times more." He said playfully before the line went dead.

I shuffled back to the couch and rested my head in my hands. Edward and I did make progress, but I still don't know where we stood.

He said he loved me, but he also said he didn't believe Brooke was breaking us up, and he thinks Jacob still has a thing for me. Even though I told him he was practically dating Leah now!

And as I sit here going over everything that has happened to me since my new life began, I realize that none of it would have happened without love.

The love and support of my parents propelled me to enjoy college and all the experiences that come with.

The love and acceptance of my friends gave me the confidence to begin fresh, making new memories, and enjoying everything that is thrown at me.

And of course, the love and trust of my Edward gave me peace of mind that we would be together forever, no matter where life takes us.

But I can't help but wonder now, as I cry, that everything will turn out like I hoped. At one point I had imagined my happily ever after. Edward was there, so was Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper.

Slowly, that's beginning to fade away. Of course my happily ever after can't be complete without Edward. So…what happens then? What happens when your fairytale comes crashing down and the one person that can make you feel better was the same person to break your heart?

Love is still the most important thing in my life, despite the unfair turn its taken. But I'm not so sure my future holds love anymore. Not after this.

**A/N: Alrighty...? Better or worse than you expected?**

**Beginning of Thanksgiving will be next chapter :)**

**-**

**I _totally_ forgot about favorite parts last chapter! I can't believe it!  
****Favorite?**

**_Bossy little clothing picker-outer! _**

**_Man, I missed Alice._**

**_-and-_**

**_Bossy little Edward-reminderer! _**

**_Man, I miss him._**

**-**

**New Teams :)**

**Team Alice-and-Esme-should-lock-Bella-and-Edward-in-a-closet!  
Team I'm so glad we're past the prologue, now I can stop worrying! **(i made this one up since everyone was so stressed about what was going to happen ;) )

**...And a mob. haha  
So not only does this story have teams, but now mobs! Beat that :P**

**Brookes a bitch, edward needs to get his shit together and stop being such a baby cuz hes losing his man card and bella!**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Emeleigh**


	19. I Know

**BPOV**

"Please, please, please, _puh-leeeease_ tell me!" Emmett whined in my ear.

"No." I said for what felt like the 90th time.

I had been denying Emmett like this for five days now. He just couldn't take no for an answer…

"But Bella, I _really_ wanna know!"

"Yes, I am aware of that." I said dryly, wishing I had someplace to escape to other than in this small confined area with one of the most impatient people I have ever met.

After I got off the phone with Edward last Saturday night, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Jacob, and Leah came home and found me sniffling in front of the TV as I replayed the engagement ring scene from _Runaway Bride_ over and over.

I told them I had talked to Edward but that was it. They immediately wanted to know all about our conversation and why I was so depressed, but I refused to say anything; I texted Edward that night to not talk about our… situation with anyone who asked. It was something private between Edward and I and we didn't need everyone we knew meddling in our relationship – or lack thereof.

So for five whole freaking days I've had to repeatedly tell Emmett I was not going to let him know what Edward and I talked about. He wasn't the worst one either. Alice pestered me to 'Spill it!' every chance she got me alone up until it was time for her to head back to Central. She got pretty creative too, one time she actually managed to lock us in the hallway closet. It was pretty weird actually, she kept mumbling something about having a practice run… I don't know…

Jasper and Rosalie were pretty chill about it. As long as Rosalie was assured I didn't need her to go kick Edward's ass, she was good; and Jasper managed to help me ward off Emmett when he got too annoying with his repeated questioning.

Now, It was eleven o'clock at night and I was stuck in the Jeep for hours listening to Emmett whine and groan about my sealed lips on anything Edward related. And Jasper wasn't even here to protect me.

"Emmett! Shut up, I'm trying to pay attention to the road while I steer your huge block of metal!"

…But I guess Rosalie is a nice alternative.

Emmett just grumbled about how he was going to get it out of me somehow and turned back around to face the front. Rosalie gave me a wink as I laid down in the back and tried to get some sleep.

…Which didn't happen.

I love Rosalie to death, but she can't drive on the interstate without losing her temper worth crap.

"Are you seri- _HELLO_?? A BLINKER WOULD BE NICE A-HOLE!" she screamed at the little white car in front of us that cut her off.

I ended up just staring at the roof of the car while I tried to tune out Rose's shouting and Emmett's voice singing along with the radio.

_BZZZ! BZZZ!_

I opened my phone and saw that I had a text from Edward.

**Going to bed. Just wanted to say goodnight… -E**

I chewed on my bottom lip as I contemplated whether or not I should text him back. He had been doing this the entire week, sending me little messages just to ask me how I was doing and let me know what was going on with him. It made it pretty damn hard to stay mad at him.

I finally gave in and tried to send a message that wasn't too bitchy, but wasn't sickenly sweet (and showed how much I absolutely, positively missed the living daylight out of him) either.

**Goodnight. –B**

Hey, it was the best I could come up with.

**EPOV**

My phone buzzed, alerting me that Bella had responded to my text message.

**Goodnight. –B**

I let my head fall back on the wall as I frustratingly sighed and tossed my phone on the floor.

I was hoping things would get a little better if I started talking to Bella regularly again. Not really. The most I think she's ever replied back is 'Writing a paper,' which then ended our conversation.

I didn't really blame her though. After talking with her and finally getting some answers to the trillion questions swirling around in my head and listening to her side of everything, I realized how much of a royal jerk I had truly been.

It wasn't until Bella brought up Jacob that I realized how she had been feeling towards Brooke. I didn't care if she claimed nothing was going on between the two of them, I just didn't like that she could have so much fun with a guy that wasn't _me_. I knew there was nothing between them though, because Bella would never do that, but it still infuriated me to no end that he got laugh with her and _he_ got to see her smile.

I understood that telling your girlfriend you found someone that reminded you of them and they acted as said girlfriend's 'understudy' wasn't much of a compliment either, too. When the words tumbled out of my mouth I replayed them back in my head and heard how awful that sounded. I might of well just said, "Hey Bella, Brooke is a lot like you so I don't need to talk to you right now since I feel better hanging out with her. But its only because I love you."

What a douche move.

Speaking of being a douche… I even went and confronted Brooke about the message Bella asked her to give me. She denied it all, but at this point I was way more leaning towards Bella's word than Brooke's. Which I shouldn't have had to compare in the first place, I should know to trust Bella.

Seth and Claire were glad I had finally come to my senses and I actually asked them about how Brooke acts around me. They were pretty eager to fill me in, and even though I still hadn't seen what they were describing, I was going to watch out for it from now on.

But now, here I was, the only person left in probably the entire dorm building that was not home or on their way home for Thanksgiving.

This sucks.

I shut off the lamp on the table beside my bed and decided I had done all I could do for my 'try-to-start-patching-things-up-with-Bella plan' tonight.

Sleep didn't come as easily as I thought it would though. I was still filled with thoughts of Bella. Naturally.

How was she going to react when we see each other again? Is she going to deck me? I wouldn't blame her if she did… Will she be happy? Sad? What do I do when I see her? Stand there awkwardly and wait for her to make the first move? Run up and wrap my arms around her, not caring if she hates me or not? Oh crap, is Rosalie going to deck me?

I have absolutely no idea.

_BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!_

My phone started vibrating on the floor, so I reached down and picked it up. I smiled when I read the text message:

**See you soon. –B**

Hey, it was a start.

**BPOV**

I pressed send before I could talk myself out of it. I wanted Edward to know I still cared… but I didn't want him to think I was ready to just forget everything.

I so wish this was just Tanya again or something. Dealing with that would have been a piece of cake.

Knowing that I wasn't going to get any sleep whatsoever, I sat back up just in time for Emmett's next musical production.

"_Bum-bum bah dah-dah! Let's go girls…_" He tried to sing in a higher pitch/sultry voice.

"Emmett, are you feeling a little feminine tonight?" Rose joked.

He just grinned and continued the song, "_I'm goin' out tonight, I'm feelin' alright. Gonna let it all hang ouuuuutttt!_"

I shook my head and watched as he shimmied in the passenger seat. "_Wanna make some noise, really raise my voice, yeah I wanna scream and shouuuuutttt!_"

Rose joined in next, breathing out the little "_Uh!_" in between lyrics.

"Sing with us, B!" Emmett rushed out before they both resumed the lyrics, "_No inhibitions, make no conditions, get a little outta liiiinnnnee!_"

I shook my head, "I don't sing!"

He threw me the stink eye as he continued, "_I ain't gonna act politically correct, I only wanna have a good tiiiimmmee!_"

"Bella, you have to sing! This is like a woman's national anthem!" Rose pleaded with me.

I couldn't try to resist anymore, when she called it our own national anthem I belted the words proudly, "_The best thing about being a woman, is the prerogative to have a little fun!_"

Emmett acted as the back up singer for a moment with the 'fun, fun, fun's' while Rose and I shouted out the chorus.

"_Oh, oh, oh go totally crazy, forget I'm a lady. Men's shirt's, short skirts. Oh, oh, oh really go wild, yeah, doin' it in style. Oh, oh, oh, get in the action, feel the attraction. Color my hair, do what I dare. Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free, yeah, to feel the way I feel…_"

We both pointed at Emmett and he happily finished with, "_Man! I feel like a woman!_"

I fell backwards in my seat laughing and gasping for breath. I hadn't had this much fun in what seemed like ages.

"Yeah! You know girls, I think we could really make some big bucks being a Shania Twain cover band…" Emmett smirked, but it was quickly forgotten when Wendy's came into view. "Rosie! Food, now."

"Emmett! Shouting, loud." She glared back.

I found this absolutely hilarious for some reason and went into a fit of giggles. I think it was the fact that Emmett's inner caveman appeared when he was hungry and Rosalie was mocking him when he talked like one… _hahaha!_

We pulled up to the drive-through window and ordered for all of us. I got a large frosty (which was ultimately a bad idea considering all the sugar I would take in, and I was already hyped up) and a medium fry. I didn't pay attention to what the other two got, I was too excited about my humongo-frosty, but I'm pretty sure Rose got something similar and Emmett got an obscene amount of chicken nuggets.

I was right, we sat at the second window for like five years waiting for them to finish cooking all of Emmett's chicken. I bet they regretted staying open until midnight right now…

The window guy was trying to flirt with Rose, keyword being 'trying.' He did this awkward twitch-blink thing and then blatantly grabbed her hand just to hold it when he was giving her back change. By the time he asked her if she was from around the area, Emmett stepped in.

"Bring me my nuggets, fool!" The window kid looked a little taken aback by Emmett's playful tone, but laser eyes.

He stumbled back to the kitchen and stumbled back carrying two bags. "Here you go. You have a nice night." He twitch-blinked at Rosalie again as he tipped his Wendy's baseball cap with the little microphone attached to it.

This boy was obviously very attractive.

"Duthde, I'm rigth hthere." Emmett glared again as he chowed down.

I started cackling like a hyena again. Everything was just _soo_ funny tonight!

We headed back out on the interstate and I slurrped down my frosty. After it was about halfway gone, I took the french fries and dumped them into the cup.

"Look! It's a _fry_sty!" I cackled.

"Ew, Bella that's gross." Rose said, disgusted.

"But its sooooo good!" I moaned as I reached in and grabbed a handful of my frysty... _hahaha!_

When I pulled my hand back out, it was coated in the cold ice cream/ salty fries. "Ahh! Look, messy fingers!" I giggled and wiggled them at Emmett.

"Dude! Do not drip chocolate of my nuggets, they'll get all soggy!" Emmett shrieked like a little girl.

"Calm down, _Emmie_, your precious chicken nuggets are safe- ...uh-ohh..." I cringed when a big glob of frysty plopped right in the middle of Emmett's food.

"Okay! That's it! I'm confiscating this!" He lunged behind me and snatched my frysty away before I could catch him.

"Emmmmmeeeetttttt!!" I whined.

"No. You are dangerous when you've consumed one of these things." he said as he proceeded to set it in the cup holder just out of my reach.

"You suck." I pouted and folded my arms across my chest as Rosalie just laughed at our exchange.

-:-:-

By the time we rolled into Forks, it was one o'clock in the morning and I had crashed. The frosty kept me going for about forty-five more minutes before I just wiped out. Now, I was uncomfortably aware of how bad I had to pee.

"Rosalieeeee, could you drive any faster?? _Pleeeeasee_!" I groaned from the backseat.

"Bella, I am already going ten miles over the speed limit. I know you're the chief's daughter and everything, but I don't know how well you would be able to talk us out of a ticket right now…" she said glancing back at me as I crossed and uncrossed my legs.

We went straight to the Cullen's house since they were closest and I leapt from the car and through their back door in three seconds flat.

"What in the world…?" I heard Esme gasp as I flew past her. My heart jumped a little at the sound of her voice, but nature was on the line right now and I sure as hell wasn't going to ignore _that_ call.

When I had finally relieved myself, I exited the bathroom right when Emmett and Rose entered carrying his giant mounds of laundry.

"MOM!" He squealed and scooped her up.

"Shh! You'll wake up your dad and brother!"

"Oh sorry, I just missed you mommy." He said with cute little puppy dog eyes.

"Well if you missed me so much you could have called me once in a while…" she said with a stern look and Emmett shrank back.

Then she saw Rose and I standing there with Emmett's baskets (he had thrown his to me when he ran for his _mommy_). "Girls! I am so happy to see you!" she whispered and pulled us into a three-way hug.

"Sorry I just sprinted past you, but I had a really big frosty on the way home and we didn't really stop for any breaks…" I said sheepishly.

"Oh, that's alright." She waved dismissively.

"So have you gotten started on your pies yet?" Rosalie asked, changing the subject that I had absolutely no clue about.

"Oh yes! I bought all the ingredients today! It took me forever to find the right kind of cherries though…"

"Yes!! You decided to make the cherry pie?!" Emmett jumped up and down gleefully.

"I'm making both dear… didn't Edward tell you?"

"That little- Oh, when I get my hands on him... his hair won't be the only thing that looks messy!"

"Calm down Em, he probably just forgot. You should actually be thanking him, he convinced me to make both. He was talking about how Bella likes cherry so that would be the winner, but then Jasper complained so that's when I called you…"

I wasn't listening to the rest. She lost me after she said Edward included me in the decision. It was silly, I know, but just the fact that he still wanted me to be apart of whatever these pies were for made me feel a little better.

Emmett drove me back to my house after we said goodbye to Esme. I was glad things weren't weird between us like I had anticipated they would be.

We pulled into my driveway and Renee was perched her rocking chair on the porch.

On the_ porch_.

Who waits outside until one in the morning?! …Well, Renee does I guess…

"AHH!! My Baby!" she cried and ran as fast as she could towards me in her pink slippers.

"Hey, Mom." I smiled and hugged her tight; I didn't realize how much I had missed her.

"Come on, come on, let's get inside!" Renee ushered me towards the door as she grabbed the rest of my things from the Jeep and said bye to Emmett and Rose.

I walked in the front door and was immediately enveloped in the strong arms of my father. I dropped my bags and locked my own arms around his waist.

"Good to have you back, Bells." He said gruffly.

"I missed you, Dad." I sniffed.

It felt good to be home.

-:-:-

I woke up the next morning in my familiar bed and warm sheets. I rolled over and looked at the clock. It said 12:00 p.m.

"Holy crap!" I shrieked and shot out of bed, straight downstairs.

"Why did you let me sleep for so long?" I asked my parents who were sitting in the kitchen having lunch.

"You obviously needed it honey. You could barely stand on your own two feet last night." My mother chuckled.

"Yeah, I had to carry you up to your room ten seconds after you stumbled in the front door." Charlie laughed with Renee.

I looked down and saw that I still had on the same clothes from yesterday, and when I tried to think of coming home last night the last thing I remembered was hugging my dad. "Oh."

My parents just chuckled again and motioned to the plate of food in front of the empty chair at the table.

It was then that I noticed my growling stomach. I started shoveling food into my mouth until I realized I probably looked like Emmett.

"So what are your plans for your big two week break?" Renee asked.

"I don't know, really. I have two papers due the day we get back, so I'll finish those up while I'm here, but other than that and Thanksgiving I have no idea." I shrugged.

"Well tonight we're all having a barbeque at the Cullens' house to celebrate you kids' homecoming." Charlie informed me.

"Who is 'we'?" I asked skeptically, though I'm pretty sure if the party was being held at _his_ house that certain someone would be there…

"Just us, the Hales, the Brandons, and the Cullens." My mom said nonchalantly, but without meeting my eyes.

_Well, crap. This was going to be awkward. Its going to be the first time I actually see Edward face to face during this whole thing and eleven other people will be watching…_

**EPOV**

I threw my keys down on the desk and quickly checked my phone. I had a missed call from my mother.

I called her back and she picked up immediately.

"Edward!! Are you on your way back yet?" She asked excitedly.

"No, I just got back from residency and I still have to pack."

"Edward Anthony Cullen, I thought you said you would be here by six o' clock tonight!"

"Relax, I still have plenty of time. I promise to bet here no later than six."

"Okay, good." She sighed, " Because everyone is coming over at that time and we can't very well celebrate without you…"

"Celebrate? What are you talking about? Who is coming over?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, we're having a barbeque in the backyard tonight to celebrate everyone's homecoming."

"And by everyone you mean…"

"_Everyone_." She stressed the word so she answered my question without even saying her name.

Then I heard a booming voice in the background, "Edward! You'll tell me what's going on when you get back, right?!"

My mother passed the phone to Emmett because he was yelling in my ear next, "Bella has been so tight-lipped about you since last week. Now, I am the older brother and I should know what is going on! Wait… wasn't I just yelling at you about this same thing a month ago??"

"Whoa! It's been a month?" No, it couldn't have been that long…

"Well, close enough. You and B have been fighting for like 3 ½ weeks…"

"Seriously?!" I squeaked.

"Yeah dude, I know, that's how long the rest of us have been putting up with you two. I assure you, we are all ready for you guys to just kiss and make up already." He huffed.

"Emmett… that's only if Bella will forgive me."

"Aha! So _you_ did something? What exactly was it?" he asked eagerly.

I probably shouldn't have, but I did anyway. I told Emmett everything; from beginning to end, the whole enchilada, I let the cat out of the bag, I unzipped my lips, however you want to say it, Emmett knew everything now.

"You let her wear Bella's sweatshirt?!" Jasper yelled at me, because he couldn't keep his nosy little ears out of the conversation and Emmett put me on speakerphone so he could hear everything as well.

You can't keep a secret in this family for anything.

"I didn't let her! I told her to go borrow one of mine and she came back out with the one Bella gave me on! Did you not here me say how mad I got?"

"Yeah, yeah, but that's still not cool man, not cool at all."

"I know, and I'm really dreading telling Bella about it."

"But it's got to be done Eddie." Emmett warned me, "If I learned anything from my insane jealousy phase with that Paul guy, before I knew he was gay and everything, its that you can't keep any secrets from her. She _will_ find out." I heard him shudder.

"I know…" I repeated. "So… how is she, anyway?" I asked, unbelievably curious to what she had been doing the past few days.

"I don't know." Both of my brothers said together.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ever since you called me all mad a while back she got all depressed and then shut us out. We hadn't seen the real Bells until last weekend when Alice and Rose came up…" Jasper informed me.

"Oh…" I had no idea what to say.

"Yeah, and last night she was all hopped up on sugar and thought every single thing that came out of her mouth was hilarious…" Emmett snickered, probably remembering hyper-Bella.

"You better find a good way to make this up to her." Jasper said sternly.

"I know, I know…" _I was saying that a lot during this conversation…_

"Alright, I was just making sure."

"Believe me, I have the perfect plan…" I smiled as I gazed at the little object sitting on top of my suitcase.

**A/N: What?! Edward has a plan now??  
Technically I do _not_ count this as a cliffy, because the 'plan' isn't going to happen super soon.**

**-**

**New Teams  
- TEAM BROOKE CAN GO DIE IN A WHOLE AND LEAVE BELLA AND EDWARD ALONE YOUR TEARING THEM APART  
- Team Emeleigh-should-make-Edward-and-Bella-sort-their-shit-out-over-Thanksgiving!  
- Team-Brooke-needs-to-go-die-n-a-hole-after-Edward-tells-her-off-and-gets-back-together-w\-Bella  
- Team Edward-is-such-a-jerk-for-not-seeing-that-Brooke-is-a-bitch  
- Team Brooke-don't-you-touch-Bella's-sweatshirt-cuz-you-will-never-look-good-in-it **_(hahaha!)_  
**- Team Brooke Is A Borderline Psycho And We All Know What Happens To Psycho's!!  
- Team Brooke-should-NEVER-wear-Bella's-sweatshirt-cause-Edward-will-snap**

**-**

**Favorite?**

**"Look! It's a _fry_sty!" I cackled.  
I thought up that name all on my own :) I'm pretty proud of it.**

**...maybe we should have Team Frysty? I would join...  
Ooh! Then we could call ourselves The Frysketeers! :P ...obviously hyper Bella was based off of me lmao.**

**But seriously, who's in?**

**-**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	20. In You Go

**EPOV**

I realized driving by yourself from Seattle to Forks gives you a lot of time to think. Maybe almost too much time…

I had two and a half hours alone with my thoughts.

That was a little frightening.

The trip to Forks started out normally, I got onto the interstate with the biggest smile on my face because I was coming home. But what was waiting for me at home, I didn't know.

_That_ was a little more frightening.

I was anxious about facing Bella, that was a given, but I was also surprisingly anxious to face my parents. They would want the full story on Bella's fight and mine when they saw the awkwardness between us and I just wasn't sure I wanted to see their faces when they listened to me tell them this was all my fault.

About an hour into the drive I got a call from Esme, checking up on how far away I still was.

"Well, you better hurry! The party's already in full swing. Emmett broke out your Dad's old record player and just discovered The Beatles." She chuckled.

In the background I could here the scene going on, "_When I say that somethin' I wanna hold your haaannd! I wanna your hand, B! I wanna hold you hand!_"

I could hear Bella's laugh in the background and I could feel my heart ache for her.

"So anybody partying with you guys or is Emmett partying by himself?" I tried to ask conversationally, I really wanted to know why Bella was there early.

I could hear the hesitation in my mother's voice, but she told me anyway, "The Swans are already here. It was Renee's idea for the party and I offered to have it at our house, so they came over a few minutes ago to help get everything set up…"

"Oh, cool."

"Well, hurry home, we miss you!" She rushed and then quickly said goodbye.

My foot immediately filled with lead as the needle on the speedometer rose and I was getting closer to Forks, no, closer to Bella by the second.

**BPOV**

Approximately one and a half hours until Edward got here. Renee and Esme thought they were being sneaky with their 'code', but when I heard her yell across the room, "Eagle lands in t-minus ninety minutes!" I pretty much knew 'Eagle' equaled Edward and 'lands' equaled his arriving time.

How dumb do they think I am?

I was supposed to be helping Emmett carry the music selections for the night outside, but my hands were shaking too badly. It didn't help that I had no idea why they were shaking. I couldn't tell if I was nervous or happy or sad or mad or anything! I was just a big huge mess.

"Oh, could someone go get these CDs from upstairs?" Esme asked to no one in particular as she held out a list.

"I will!" I offered a little too enthusiastically. I just wanted to be by myself for a few moments, to gather up all my emotions.

I grabbed the list from Esme and ran up the steps two at a time. I searched the Cullens' music collection in the study and found all the discs on the list except for one.

"Esme, I can't find one of them!" I called down the steps.

"It's probably on Edward's room then!" She hollered back up.

_Oh. Crap._

I looked down the hallway at Edward's closed bedroom door.

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!_

I took a deep breath and put on my big girl pants; I could do this. It was just a room. Just an area with four walls and a door, no biggie.

Taking the few steps it took to stand in front of his doorway, I continued breathing nice, calm, and deep breaths. I pushed the door open with my left hand and it swung open, revealing the sacred space.

It was exactly as I had remembered it, basketball posters covering every inch of the wall space, the black comforter on his rarely made bed, the crazy stereo system that took up one whole wall, and the shelf of music I needed to search through to find the CD for Esme.

I placed one foot over the threshold, and pulled the rest of my body with it. I was officially standing in Edward's room now. It wasn't too bad, so I let my feet carry me farther into the bedroom.

That's when a memory flashed through my mind. It was the very first time Edward had shown me his room.

_Flashback._

_I hesitantly stepped inside and took in my surroundings._

"_Wow…" his room is way cooler than mine. "You room is really cool."_

_He chuckled, "Thanks…" and watched as I snooped through all of his things._

"_We have to listen to this! I haven't heard Claire de Lune in forever! My mom used to play it Debussy in the house, just as background noise, but she lost the CD and hasn't gotten another one." I laughed when I found the disc lying on the shelf._

_He grabbed the music from my hand and placed it in the stereo. The musical notes filled the room and I started humming along. I went and sat on the black couch in the corner and Edward followed._

_We sat their snuggled in each other's arms just listening to the soft lullabies. Edward's right arm was securely wrapped around my waist as I played with the fingers on his left hand._

"_So what was 'the best dream you ever had' about?" I asked out of nowhere, just wanting to fill the silence._

"_I bet you could guess…" He leaned in close and whispered into my ear. _

"_Okay! Ummm?" I tapped my chin playfully as I thought. "Were you that hot-shot basketball star making the winning basket as the buzzer went off?"_

_He smiled, "Nope."_

"_Finally convinced me to go mudding in the death trap again?" I snorted._

"_I wish, but no."_

"_Okay, I give up!" I huffed._

"_I'll give you a hint…Her name rhymes with 'fella', and she consumes my thoughts 24/7."_

"_Ella Fitz in the ninth grade, you know the one who has a picture of you in her locker…? She'll be thrilled once she hears you had a dream about her and constantly think about her. I think I have her number, maybe I'll give her a call…" I took out my phone and started scrolling through my contacts until Edward snatched it out of my grasp. He knew I wasn't joking about the picture._

"_What?" I asked innocently, "You mean that's not who you dreamt about?" I asked again, feigning shock. "The only other girl I know of with a names that rhymes with fella is…me!"_

"_Exactly!" He let out an exasperated sigh._

_I just giggled and leaned in towards him, resting my head on his chest. "Well what exactly happened in your dream?'_

"_We were in the forest or a meadow and we just lied there together talking about various things. I don't really remember much about what exactly we talked about but most of it must have been funny because we laughed quite a bit."_

"_That sounds like a great dream." I replied softly._

_We sat comfortably, just enjoying each other's company and this how I wanted things to be, always._

_"It was." He kissed the top of my forehead and tightened his arms around me, where I belonged._

_End Flashback._

A couple tears streaked down my cheeks as I glanced over at the same black couch. In a moment of weakness, I walked over to it and laid down. I closed my eyes and imagined Edward was holding me and for a second I felt better, like things between us were better.

I forgot all about finding that stupid CD too.

**EPOV**

I'm pretty sure I had shaved off at least fifteen minutes off my time from all the speeding I did. I was pretty lucky I didn't get pulled over. I knew I was at least driving twenty miles over the speed limit the whole way.

I passed the 'Welcome to Forks' sign at 5:43 p.m. Once I was in town, I let my speedometer drop to the actual limit because I knew getting in trouble with the Forks' police (mainly the Chief of Police) was not in my best interest at the moment.

I rounded the corner onto my street and could see my mom and Renee hanging up some lights.

I beeped my horn twice and both their heads whipped in my direction. When I pulled up, Esme was immediately at the driver side door.

"You're home!" she cheered and pulled me in for a hug.

"Hey, Mom." I grinned widely and hugged her back. I wasn't afraid to admit it anymore, I was a momma's boy and I missed her the most, second to Bella.

"I have to get the rest of these lights up, so you go take all your stuff up to your room and I'll catch up with you in a little bit." She ordered me.

"Yes ma'am." I saluted and hauled my bags in the house after saying a nervous 'hello' to Renee.

When I stepped through the front door there wasn't any sound. I figured everybody was already out back fulfilling whatever duty Esme and Renee gave them. But that also meant Bella was only about twelve steps away and I controlled my legs when they lurched toward the backyard to go find her.

I took the stairs two at a time and walked right into my room. Flinging the bags on the bed, I turned around and heard a small gasp.

Bella was sitting right in front of me.

Bella was right in front of me.

Bella was one meter away from me.

Bella was _here_.

My eyes raked over her body, re-memorizing her features and taking her all in. I just couldn't believe that we were finally together again. When I reached her eyes I noticed they were glistened with tears. She's been crying?

"Bella?" I asked like I didn't really know if it was her or not.

In a split second, Bella had pushed off of the couch and launched herself at me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she buried her face in my shoulder. I reflexively latched my own arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

"I am _so _sorry, Bella." I silently wept, pulling her even closer to me.

I felt her nod and then her voice vibrate against my skin, "I'm sorry too."

I had no idea what she had to be sorry for, but I wasn't going to ask her and ruin the moment. We were finally together again and I could finally start mending my relationship with Bella.

We stood in the middle of my room clinging onto each other until we heard other cars pulling into the driveway.

"We should probably make an appearance at the party." I whispered.

I felt her nod again and slowly lowered Bella back on her feet.

She turned to walk out of the room until she remembered something, "Oh! I came up here in the first place because Esme needed one of your CDs…" she mumbled and walked over to my shelf.

It was on the very top and she had trouble reaching it, so I easily plucked from its place and handed it to her, smiling.

"Thanks." She said shyly and exited the room.

My grin faded. I hated that things were weird between us. I hated that she was nervous and shy and not herself around me. I hated that I didn't ask her to just skip the party with me so we could go work this out already.

I sighed and followed Bella's path out of the room and outside to the big celebration. I didn't feel like celebrating anything right now unless it was a party for Bella and mine's make up.

I slipped through the patio doors that lead to the backyard and was immediately bombarded.

"Edward!"

Now, I bet if I had asked you to guess who squealed my name as soon as I appeared, you wouldn't have gotten it right. Or maybe you would have…

Emmett bounded over to me and crushed me into a bear hug while noogying the top of my head. "Its good to have you back, _brotha_!"

"Its good to be back." I said sincerely and patted his back.

Jasper came over and gave me a much calmer hug before passing me over to Carlisle and Esme.

I gave each of them a hug and answered their millions of questions about school and the drive home. Then I noticed my mom glancing back and forth between someone behind me and myself.

I casually turned my head and saw Bella talking to Rosalie at the table directly behind me. "Mom, leave it alone." I sighed.

"But you two have been in the same place for a half hour so far and not acknowledged either's presence once!" she said, tossing her hands in the air.

"…And? Maybe we don't want the first time we actually talk to each other to be on display in front of all of you."

"Well then what is the point of this barbeque anyway?" she huffed.

"What? Mom, did you and Renee plan this to force Bella and me together?"

"Yes, and I'm not ashamed either. You two need to kiss and make up and quit being so stubborn."

"I love you and everything, mother, but we have to do this ourselves. Without any meddling from you or Renee or even Alice and Emmett."

"Fine." She sighed, frustrated, and stormed off. Probably to go tell Renee their plan wasn't working.

"Hey, Edward…" I jumped at the sound and the fact that it belonged to Rosalie.

"Rosalie." I nodded curtly. I was trying to play things safe until I knew if she was going to just yell at me... or punch me.

"Okay, I'm just going to come right out and say it; what you did was shitty, we both know that, but I don't want you to think I hate you because of what's happened in the past month. You _are_ my friend. And I know it doesn't seem like it because I'm on 'Bella's side' and everything, but she's been my best friend ever since I can remember. I hate seeing her hurt… I hate seeing you hurt too, though." She struggled to make her point, but I understood.

Rosalie was trying to tell me that she was going to defend and protect Bella no matter what, that Bella's happiness was her first priority in this ordeal. For that, I was glad. But she wanted me to know that she still cared about me no matter what happened as well. For that, I was also glad.

"I understand, Rose." I said softly.

"Good." She nodded once and pulled me into a sideways hug, "I think you guys can work this out, honestly. I know Bell has some things she wants to get off her chest, and I'm sure you do too."

"I'm going to make it up to Bella, for everything I've done."

"I know you will." She smiled and patted my back before walking away, "It's good to have you back, Edward."

Shortly after that, supper was ready and everyone was seated. Naturally, there was a parents' table and a kids' table. Naturally, the seating arrangement was more awkward for our table.

It was pretty obvious that I wanted Bella to come sit by me, with the seat next to me that I had left vacant and everything, but Rose came and sat in it instead, flashing me and apologetic smile while doing so. Then everyone else sat down accordingly: Emmett beside Rosalie, Alice on my other side, Bella beside her, and Jasper beside Bella.

Carlisle said grace and then we all dug in. The only noises being made were the chatter at the adults' table and the chewing of food at our table.

_Awkward…_

**BPOV**

_Well this is uncomfortable…_

During the entire meal I could feel Edward's gaze on me. I didn't chance looking up because I knew I would just get lost in those emerald eyes and I couldn't let that happen. I needed to stay mad at him. I needed to get everything off my chest before I could forgive Edward.

Our other friends tried to hold a normal conversation, but none of them could relieve the obvious tension. After we had finished eating Esme announced that we would move the party inside due to the rain.

Once inside, everyone kind of split off into groups. Esme, Renee, Alice's Mom, and Rose's Mom got all the dishes in the dishwasher, Carlisle, Charlie, Alice's Dad, and Rose's Dad migrated to the living room to check on game scores, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward disappeared upstairs for some reason, and Alice and Rose took me to go talk by the stairs.

"So what's up with you and Edward? I mean I knew things would be awkward but something obviously happened earlier." Alice accused.

"I was in his room looking for a CD when he was bringing his bags up…" I sighed.

"WHAT?!" They practically screeched.

I just nodded and continued, "It was hard for me to be in there in the first place and I was crying because I missed him so freaking much. Then when I saw Edward I just couldn't take it any longer and threw myself at him. I had such a vice grip around his neck that I'm surprised I didn't choke him… Then he said he was so sorry about everything and I said I was sorry too. And that was that; I came back downstairs and it was time to eat. You saw the rest of the night."

"Wow. That has either got to be the sweetest or the most messed up thing I've ever heard." Rosalie shook her head, "You give Edward the best welcome home greeting and then ignore him the rest of the night?"

"Well I can't just pretend like nothing happened, can I?!"

"No, you can't. But you also can't pretend like he's not even in the room. You should have seen his face Bells, the boy looked like you ran over his puppy." Alice came over and draped an arm around me. "You need to talk to him. Now."

"Are you sure it's the best time? At our big 'homecoming' party?" I asked skeptically.

"No time like the present."

With that, Alice dragged me up the stairs and planted me in the hallway where I could hear the boys talking behind Edward's closed door.

"You guys, I really don't think it's a good idea to do this right here, right now." I tried to plead.

Alice did a little funny knock on the door and I heard Rose mumble, "Sorry Bella, Alice made me promise to help her." before she restrained my arms behind my back.

"What are you doing?!"

Then I heard some rustling behind the bedroom door before it swung open and Emmett stood there with Edward in a similar position.

"Targets acquired. Phase two!" Alice barked out orders as I was forcefully moved towards the end of the hallway.

"Are you serious, Alice? You actually planned this out?" I rolled my eyes, but wasn't too surprised to be honest.

Jasper ran ahead and opened the door at the end of the hallway that held all the linens. "In you go." He smirked as Emmett and Rosalie pushed Edward and me inside.

The door closed behind us and I heard the clinking of metal chains followed by a click of a lock.

Edward looked at the door, then me, then back at the door. He jiggled the knob and pushed on the wooden frame, but it wouldn't budge.

"Really guys? You locked us in a closet?" he called through the slits in the door.

"We'll check on you in an hour!" I heard Emmett yell back before I heard eight feet scamper downstairs.

I reached above me and pulled on the little string that turned on the light. I hadn't really realized the close proximity Edward and I were in until I could actually see.

"Well this is great." I said dryly and leaned against a stack of washcloths.

"And to think a month ago we wouldn't have minded being stuck in a closet together…" Edward ran a hand through his hair and laughed darkly.

"Yeah, well, things have definitely changed since then…" I sighed.

Edward shook his head and leaned it back on one of the shelves, closing his eyes. We sat in silence for a good ten minutes before he spoke.

"How did we get here?"

"In this closet or just the big mess of our relationship in general?"

"The big mess. How did it get so, you know… _big_?"

"If I remember correctly, it was when you started ditching me for Brooke…"

"And here we go." Edward sighed.

"Yes, here we go. They put us in here to talk, so let's talk Edward!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

We didn't talk.

We sat there glaring at each other for another ten minutes before I spoke up again.

"Alright, I am going to tell you everything I have felt about _everything_ and you do not get to interrupt me. Then you can tell your side of the story."

"Okay."

"For me, I guess it all started when you told me about Brooke. Don't get me wrong, I understand boys can have friends that are girls that are just friends, but you started hanging out with her during all your free time. You even hung up on me without saying goodbye so you could talk to her! What am I supposed to think? That my boyfriend would rather listen to another girl talk about crap than talk to me for more than five minutes! That's when I started hanging out with Jacob more, when it felt like you started pushing me away. I needed something to occupy all my new free time."

"Bella-"

"No! I am talking!" I clenched my fists at my sides and took a deep breath, "The bottom line is, you replaced me with Brooke and you know it. Don't try and get yourself off the hook with all that 'understudy' talk. You picked Brooke over me and that hurts, Edward. It hurts like nothing else I have ever felt before and I don't like feeling this way. I feel betrayed and broken and miserable and exhausted. I can't go on like this."

The tears had started flowing well before I explained all of that and I was a sniffling mess as Edward and I just stared at each other once more. "I'm done now. Your turn."

He took a big breath and ran another hand through is hair, "Well at first I was just confused. I didn't know why you were acting so weird when I called or not even answering my phone calls at all. Then when I heard you were hanging around that Jacob guy, I got pretty jealous and started questioning how you felt about me. I thought maybe he had caught your eye and I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop you from falling for him and breaking up with me… I know I was completely wrong now, though. Then when Brooke came and told me you said we basically needed a break, I just fell apart. I can't _not_ be with you Bella."

"But what is your explanation for blowing me off?"

"I don't have one, I guess. I don't really remember that phone call where I hung up on you. But you have to believe me when I say I would never in the history of forever pick Brooke before you."

"But you did, Edward. That's the point."

"I know I did, and I am so so so sorry. I can't take back what I did, I wish I could; I would feel a lot less shittier, that's for sure. When it comes down to it though, if I was given the choice between spending my last minute on Earth with anyone in the world, it would be you Bella. Not Brooke or any other person on this planet, you."

He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small circular container.

"I know this isn't something extravagant and its probably going to sound cheesy, but I mean what I'm about to say."

I just nodded as I popped open the cap and poured the shiny object into his palm. "I saw this when I was at the grocery store. It only cost me a quarter and its okay if you don't like it, but I just wanted to give you something that reminded you that you are my world, my everything." He held out a little gumball machine ring that had a tiny earth attached to the top of it.

I started to cry silently and worry flashed across Edward's face. I welcomed the tears though, because this time they weren't because I was mourning over my crappy relationship, it was because I was finally happy. It was probably the cheesiest thing I had ever seen, but it was sweet all the same. And to make it even better it was something so... Edward.

"You were right…" I sighed, "That was extremely cheesy."

Edward frowned and the hopeful look in his eyes faded.

"But, I guess it was extremely sweet too." I smiled and slipped the little thing on my left ring finger.

Edward reached out and scooped me into a warm hug, burying his face in my hair, "So you forgive me? For everything?"

"Wait." I pulled away and looked at him, "No more Brooke, right?" I had to make sure we were on the same page. If he still thought she was such a great person, this discussion would not be over.

"No, no more Brooke. You were right, about everything." I bit back an 'I told you so' and just relished in the feeling of Edward's arms around me again.

This time, Edward pulled away and looked me straight in the eyes, "Isabella Swan, I promised to love you every moment of forever."

"Edward Cullen, I promise to let you, and return the favor." I smiled even wider through my tears.

He gently wiped away the moisture on my cheeks and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His breath washed across my face and I was doing mental math in my head, trying to figure out how long I had gone without the touch of Edward's lips.

_…so if the fight started about a month ago… and he had visited me a few days before that… oh who cares?! It's been too long, that's for sure!_

As if he was reading my thoughts, Edward whispered, "Bella, is it okay if I kiss you?"

"Please." My lips were immediately captured by his.

And just like that, everything was better. He tugged on my bottom lip and ran his tongue along the base of my top lip. I parted my mouth slightly and his tongue fused with my own.

We broke apart, both of us breathing heavily and I rested my forehead against Edward's. "It has been way too long since we've done that." I said softly.

"Mmhm. Let's never fight again."

"Good idea." I barely got the words out before Edward's lips were on mine again.

We were so caught up in each other that we didn't even hear the door open.

"Whoa! Close your eyes, children!" Emmett boomed.

I figured Edward would start yelling at everyone to leave, but he just continued to kiss me and I wasn't about to stop him no matter who was watching.

"Wow, they're really goin' at it…" Rose chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think I can watch this anymore…" Jasper sounded disgusted.

"Oh Jazzy, shush! I think it's sweet." Alice's voice said dreamily.

"Well, I'm just glad they finally made up." _Uh-oh._ That was not Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, or Alice.

"I agree. For a second there when we heard them yelling I wasn't sure if Alice's plan was going to work…" Yeah, that wasn't any of them either.

I reluctantly tore my lips from Edward's and faced our audience. Emmett smirked as he reached over and covered Jasper's eyes, Rose and Alice were smirking at me, and Esme and Renee were without a doubt, beaming.

I was about to start screaming for all of them to leave us to our privacy when Edward just nodded at the six faces and started pulling the door shut, "Excuse us."

I giggled as the hoops and hollers from the other side began.

"Now, where were we?" Edward flashed me his crooked grin.

"I believe we were making up for lost time. You owe me many kisses." I smirked and crashed my lips to his.

**A/N: :D It's about time, right??**

**Let's all have a collective sigh of relief, ready. Inhale........... annnndddd exhale. **

**The fight is over! *does a little happy dance while squealing Alice-style***

**-**

**Favorite?**

**Approximately one and a half hours until Edward got here. Renee and Esme thought they were being sneaky with their 'code', but when I heard her yell across the room, "Eagle lands in t-minus ninety minutes!" I pretty much knew 'Eagle' equaled Edward and 'lands' equaled his arriving time.**

**How dumb do they think I am?**

_**...hahaha, ohhh Esme and Renee.**_

**_-_**

**Newest Teams:  
-Team Edward-Needs-To-Get-His-Head-Out-Of-His-Ass-About-Brooke-And-Beg-Bella-For-Forgiveness  
-Team Watch-Out-Brooke-I-Have-A-Spork!  
-Team I-wish-Brooke-would-go-jump-off-a-cliff-in-La-Push-and-me-and-Bella-love-frostys!-  
-Team-Edward-is-being-a-jackass-and-Bella-is-being-really-stubborn-and-annoying-MAKE-UP-ALREADY  
-Team brooke needs to go die in a hole because she started this shit and took bellas sweatshirt and edward needs to get off his sorry ass and make up with bella because we all know emmett and alice are going to make thanksgiving hilarious and awkward!  
-Team when-is-lleigh-updating-cuz-i-cant-take-the-suspense!  
-Team-Edwards-plan-better-work-because-this-fight-has-last-long-enough!**

**...And in Team Frysty news:  
Our membership count is increasing by the day :) I'll be making an official icon for all members and posting it on my profile soon lol.  
When the story is finished I will post the entire list of members, just because I want to recognize all my frysketeers ;)**

**-**

**That's all :) See you soon!**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	21. Not Much

**A/N: Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy........**

**I am really frustrated with myself that I couldn't get the chapter out faster, BUT if it makes it any better I do have a good excuse ;)  
PROM! lmao. I was vice prez on the prom committee and that pretty much took up all my free time when I wasn't sleeping or doing homework, or eating...but that's over now so hopefully we can get back into regular updates!**

**AND you have the pleasure of reading the work of the one and only, newly crowned, Prom Princess :)  
haha (seniors get prom king and queen. juniors get voted for prom prince and princess)**

**okay, i'm going to stop talking now :) more below!**

_November 22nd – The day after the party._

**BPOV**

I woke up to the loud pelting of raindrops on my window and rolled onto my back and did my regular normal morning stretches while still laying in bed.

When I brushed against my lips with the palm of my hand as I yawned, they seemed a little sensitive. I giggled once I remembered the previous night's activities – Edward, the closet, _the kissing_.

Glancing over at my alarm clock, the little red numbers read 9:21 a.m. I kicked the covers from my body and threw my legs over the edge of the bed, placing my feet on the cold floors. I raced over to my dresser to slip on some socks and noticed the slight still-swollen look of my lips and giggled again.

_I am such a teenage girl._

I padded to the bathroom, completed my morning routine, and then threw a sweatshirt on before deciding to join Charlie and Renee for breakfast. I stopped short when I passed by my parents' bedroom door and still heard my dad snoring away. I cracked their door open a little and saw both of them still out cold.

_What a bunch of old farts. They can't go to a simple party (which only lasted until 10 o'clock) and not be exhausted._

I shut their door again and made my way to the kitchen to have breakfast by myself… only I wasn't alone.

I turned the corner and found my boyfriend sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper, and sipping on some coffee out of _my_ mug.

"Making yourself at home?" I smirked and grabbed the things I needed for some cereal.

Edward laid the paper down in front of him and grinned, "Yes, actually. Renee forgot her purse at our house last night and said I could just come on in when I brought it," pointing at the brown hobo bag on the counter.

"Well okay then." I snickered and brought my bowl of Cocoa Puffs (Emmett got me hooked on this stuff) to the table.

I shoved a large spoonful into my mouth and smiled as best I could at Edward with my cheeks poofed out. He leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss on my lips, wiping away the drops of milk that were leaking from my mouth.

"What are you doing today?" I asked as soon as I swallowed.

"Uh… not much." He replied casually and went back to reading the paper.

_…Okay? You'd think that by now Edward could pick up on the little hints I throw out._

"Not much?"

"Yup." He said, popping the 'p'.

I just gave him the stink eye, which he didn't even see since he was reading the stupid newspaper, and started reading the back of my own cereal box.

Right when I finished the maze that reunited the bird with his cocoa, Edward folded up the _Forks Tribune _and looked at me, "Why?"

"Why what?" I garbled out mid-bite.

"Why did you want to know what I was doing today?" He asked, honestly curious.

_Boys amaze me sometimes._

"Are you being serious right now or joking with me?"

"Huh?"

"Edward! I obviously asked you what you were doing to see if you wanted to spend the day with me." I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"Oh. _Oh_. Why didn't you just ask me that?" I didn't answer him and just shook my head. He laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

We sat in silence like that, Edward staring at me, amused, and me ignoring him as I finished my breakfast. Then he thought he would be funny.

"What are _you_ doing today, Bella?"

"Not much." _I can be just as 'funny', Cullen_.

"I see. Well, would you like to do something with me?" He asked, a smile still playing on his lips.

I sighed dramatically, "Oh _I'm sorry _Edward, I have plans already."

"That's cool." He shrugged again and reopened the newspaper.

I glared daggers at him from behind the black print before walking over to the sink and rinsing out my bowl.

Charlie came staggering in then, demanding coffee. "Wild party last night, Dad?" I giggled as I handed him his mug.

"Try to tease me again when you're almost 50 years old, and let me know if its so hilarious then." He grumbled.

Edward snickered from his chair and faced Charlie, "Don't worry, my parents were practically unconscious when I left them and even before they went to bed they warned all of us, especially Emmett, to not make any noise before noon."

My dad just grunted in response before dragging his feet over to a chair and resting his head on the table. I decided to play the caring daughter role and whipped up enough scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for three for Charlie, and so Renee could have some when she woke up _and _since Edward was eyeing the pan as I cooked.

Once Charlie had some food in his stomach, he was a lot more chipper, "So, what are you kids doing today?"

"Not much." Edward and I said together. Once my eyes met his, I hunched over in my laughter along with Edward as Charlie looked between us like we were certifiably insane.

-:-:-

Edward and I decided to dawn our raincoats outside since it was now just a light drizzle, and shoot some hoops outside in the basket on my garage door.

"It's only the second full day of break and I am completely bored already." I huffed and tossed the ball in.

"That kinda hurts, Bells. Am I not entertaining enough?" Edward placed his hand over his heart and jutted out his bottom lip.

I chucked the ball at him and his reflexes were too slow, letting the ball thump him in the chest. I rolled my eyes, "Yes, you bore me Edward."

"I always knew there was something you weren't telling me… and then you go and attack me with a basketball! Are you trying to get rid of me?" He joked accusingly while rubbing the spot by his shoulder where I hit him.

I suddenly felt the mood of our playful teasing tense as both of us thought back to the fight. "Of course I would never want to get rid of you." I told him seriously.

"I know." Edward nodded and dropped the basketball, striding towards me and wrapping his strong arms around my waist.

"We still need to talk about a few things…" I mumbled into his chest.

"I know." He repeated, "But let's wait until after Thanksgiving."

"Okay."

"Whatever you're doing, stop! We are exiting the car now and do not want to see a repeat of last night's closet escapade!" Emmett hollered through the closed door in the Jeep that was now suddenly parked in front of my house.

"We weren't even doing anything!" I yelled back as he poked his head out to make sure it was 'safe'.

"Well all thanks to _you_, we weren't doing anything…" Edward grumbled in Emmett's direction.

Jasper and Emmett came over and immediately stared their own game of basketball, completely ignoring us.

"What are you doing here? And where are Alice and Rose?"

"Mom kicked us out because of loud mouth over here, and Alice is doing something with her mom… I think." Jasper informed me.

"What about Rose, Emmett?"

"Uhh… I don't really know." He shrugged and dunked the ball in my sad excuse for a hoop.

"Figures." I snorted and pulled out my phone, dialing her number. I was not going to be stuck with all three of these boys by myself all day.

I could handle at least two of them, but when you threw all of the Cullen brothers together they could get a little out of hand. Especially when I look away for two seconds to call Rose and when I look back up they're in a heated wrestling match, Edward's head locked in Emmett's huge arm, Jasper pulling Emmett's other arm behind his back, and Emmett trying to kick Jasper from behind while Edward is slapping Jasper's left cheek.

"Hello?" Rose answered.

"Help me." I whimpered.

-:-:-

We swung by the Hales' house and picked Rose up and then started driving around, with nothing to do.

"I could be doing this at home." Rose huffed from the passenger seat.

"But I'm not at your home, and isn't being bored with me better than being bored alone?" Emmett asked sweetly. She just scoffed and rolled her eyes, looking out the window as we drove down Main Street _again_.

"Can we do something other than cruise around Forks? I mean seriously, this is almost as much fun as peeling off wallpaper at Grandma's house." Jasper snorted.

"Agreed." Edward and I said together.

We ended up following a white SUV around, which turned out to be pretty entertaining when they realized we were following them and started twisting and turning down random streets. Well, it was fun until the car pulled into Alice's driveway and Mrs. Brandon and Alice exited the vehicle.

"What are you all doing?!" She giggled when we sheepishly exited the Jeep as well.

"We were bored." I shrugged as the others agreed quietly, "And when did your mom get a new car?" Last I had remembered she still had a blue mini-van.

"October, for her birthday. It was from my dad." Alice shook her head at us and giggled again. "So, you're all bored?"

"YES!" the five of us groaned.

"Alright, go home and change into some clothes you can get dirty in. We're going mudding." She smirked and flitted inside.

Rosalie, Jasper, and I were gaping at her retreating form, Edward was watching me cautiously, and Emmett was pumping his fist in the air screaming, "FINALLY!"

_Did she not remember the last time we tried this?_

After we had all gone home and changed into appropriate 'getting dirty' outfits, Alice demanded that she drive the Jeep out to the forest area where we could go mudding. She really had us guessing exactly what was going to happen when she shoved multiple sheets of plastic tarp in the back. I was silently freaking out, still scared to my core about the return of the death trap. Rosalie was beside me fuming, muttering about how stupid this was and how she was too young and pretty to die.

Alice reached the peak of a very steep and muddy hill, and turned around to face the four of us in the back seat, "Everyone ready?" she smiled as Emmett started bouncing happily in the passenger seat.

I immediately remembered back to the first time this happened… it wasn't good.

_Flashback_

"_Everyone ready?" Emmett turned around in his seat._

_I gulped, "Mhmm…"_

_Edward and Jasper were just casually sitting in their seats like it was nothing, while Alice clung to Jasper's arm, I made sure my harness was fastened, and Rose nervously scanned the pathway we would be driving around on soon._

_Emmett slammed on the gas and we shot forward, he turned the wheel sharply to the left and the back end whipped to the right. Then our speed increased as we climbed a fairly large hill, we reached the top going about 85 mph and started to descend. Emmett hit the brakes abruptly and the Jeep started swerving and turning every way. I quickly shut my eyes so I at least couldn't watch Emmett attempt to murder us all._

_End Flashback_

"NO!" I shrieked and started to climb over Edward's body out the door. "No, no, no, _no_. NO!"

"Get back in this car, B! You'll have fun this time around, I promise!" Emmett ordered.

"Ohhh no. I will not be having fun, because I will not be participating. I'm getting out of here. Now." I insisted adamantly as I got the door open and hopped out.

"Bella's right, everyone out!" Alice said in her chipper little voice and got out of the driver's seat.

I could probably speak for the whole group when I came to the conclusion that none of us knew what was going on. Well, except for Alice who had marched right up to the edge of the hill squealed.

Then she was gone.

"What the _hell_ did she just do?" Rosalie whispered beside me.

Jasper ran over to the spot where his girlfriend had just vanished from and started laughing. Then he looked back at us, winked, and then disappeared too.

_Okaayyy… this is getting a little weird._

Next, of course, Emmett had to see what was going on and he didn't plan on going alone. He bounded over, scooped Rosalie up in his arms, ran over to the same spot.

"PUT ME DOWN!!" She screamed the whole way, that I could barely hear Emmett cheer, "Cowabunga!" over her shrill voice.

I hesitantly walked over to where my friends had jumped and looked down. Beneath me was a muddy slope that had brown puddles of watery, brown goo waiting at the bottom. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie, were covered head to toe in gunk and laughing their head off.

"Shall we?" Edward grabbed me around my stomach as he sat on the wet ground. The light drizzle from earlier had now transformed into fat droplets, making it perfect for us to easily glide down the hill.

"We shall." I giggled and let out a higher pitched-gasp sound as we sped down the slope and plunged into the muddy puddles below.

I could feel the moisture seep through my clothing and squish between my toes. I placed my hands at my side and moved to get up, but immediately flopped back on my butt when my feet slipped out from underneath me and flung goop all in my face and hair.

"Blegchh!" I cringed when I realized some had even flown into my mouth.

Then before I even had the chance to attempt to get to my feet again, Emmett just _had_ to yell, "MUD FIGHT!!"

I was pelted with mud balls and dirty water and anything icky you could think of. Edward and I used our lower level to our advantage and crawled around on the ground around everyone else's feet tossing mud pies directed for their chins and mouths.

It was a decent strategy if I do say so myself.

Somehow Alice and Rosalie had gotten really into it and started wrestling in one of the puddles. And of course, Emmett and Jasper were cheering them on.

As I was watching Alice leap onto Rose's back and instantly slide right back off, I heard Edward call my name softly from beside me.

"Hm?" I hummed and turned to face him when I took a slap of slimy, gross mud to the face.

"EDWARD CULLEN!" I hollered and started chasing after him.

"Come on Bells, be a good sport! Its just a little mud." He smiled innocently.

"Oh I'll show you a little mud." I bent down and balled up the grossest looking bundle of mud, grass, and leaves and sprinted right towards him, smearing the entire thing all over the better half of his face.

He had definitely gotten a mouthful and started spitting it out, "Oh come on Edward, be a good sport." I mocked him and smirked proudly at my victory.

"I can be a good sport." He said smoothly as he locked his arms behind my knees and slid me to the ground again. Then I hooked my foot around his ankle and yanked him down with me.

"Oof!" He grunted as he fell on top of my stomach. He stared intently in my eyes for a moment before chuckling, "You have a little something right here." He pointed towards the corner of my mouth and lifted his dirty thumb to brush away the glob of mud, which was silly because I had globs of mud covering me everywhere.

He gently swiped it away and leaned down to capture my bottom lips between his. I'm not gonna lie, it was a little gross. Mud does not taste good. At. All. And since I had thrown that disgusting mud ball at Edward, it was still all in his mouth, which was now attached to mine.

I wasn't really in the mood to care though, because I would rather kiss a muddy Edward than a non-muddy somebody else.

-:-:-

The plastic tarps made sense once it was time to head home, or else Emmett's Jeep would have been completely covered in dried up mud later. Alice drove us home, because Emmett had been a little disappointed that we didn't go actually mudding and we couldn't trust him to get us _safely_ back home.

We pulled up to the Cullens' house where Carlisle was out in the garage. We piled out of the Jeep and Jasper marched right past his father like he was just going to waltz into the house like it was no big deal.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it right there." He said sternly, "Your mother will go ballistic if you get one speck of dirt in that house."

"Who's going to track dirt in my house?" Esme asked curiously, joining us outside. She took one glance at our very dirty appearances and her eyes widdened, "No! You will not be entering this house looking like that! Go hose off in the backyard!"

How did I know what Emmett was going to say next?: "WATER FIGHT!!" Oh right, anything that gets you all messy, or in this case clean, has to have 'fight' added to the end of it. It didn't matter whether it was mud, food, or water, he just had to turn into a five year old.

We were just about to the hose when Esme started waving her camera frantically around, "Wait, wait, wait! This is definitely a Kodak moment."

She snapped a few pictures, one of us smiling, another where we made disgusted faces, and the on last one we reenacted out mud fight.

As soon as Esme was safely out of the splashing zone, Emmett spun the faucet of and started chasing us all around the yard with the hose. By the time we were all cleaned off, my teeth were chattering and I was sure I was beginning to show signs of hypothermia. Edward brought me a towel and wrapped it around my arms and I clung to his body for additional heat.

Esme and Carlisle allowed us to enter the house finally and Edward took me up to his room where I got a comfy pair of his warm, dry sweatpants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, and socks.

I lifted the collar of the shirt up to my nose to inhale the scent, "I love wearing your clothes, Edward." I sighed and flopped onto the back of his bed.

"I love when you wear my clothes." He crawled beside me and pulled me towards him, his eyes starting to droop closed.

"I also love snuggling with you."

"Yeah, me too." He hummed into my hair.

"You know what else I love?" I poked his side as his eyes completely shut.

"Naps with me?" he yawned.

"Well yes, but not what I was thinking."

"Sleeping?"

"No."

"Being quiet so Edward can sleep?"

"No."

"Okay, I give up."

"No, you know this. It's easy just think about it. What do I love, Edward?"

"Me?" he smirked.

"Yes." I said softly and kissed his pursed lips.

"Mmm, good." He smiled again and his words started to slur together as he drifted off.

I waited until he was just about asleep before speaking up again, because I loved when he got all grumpy when I was keeping him from sleeping too. "Edward?" I whispered loudly.

"What, Bella?" he huffed.

"Are you sleeping?" I had to hold back a laugh as his face became irritated.

"I was just about to, _shhh_." Edward lazily lifted a finger to my mouth and placed it over my lips.

"You never said it back though." I whispered again after removing his finger.

"Huh?"

"You never said it back."

"Said what back?" he raked a hand through his hair and then rubbed it over his face, clearly getting very agitated with me.

"I said 'I love you' and you never said 'I love you too' like you usually do."

"Oh." He yawned again.

"Well are you going to?"

"Going to _what_, Bella?" he groaned.

"Say 'I love you too.'" I giggled.

"Yes, I love you. Now please sleep."

"Okay." I smiled and placed another kiss on his lips, which he happily returned and wrapped his arms tighter around me.

I guess it turned out to be a not-so-boring day after all.

**A/N: Its nice to have a drama free chapter again, huh?**

**Favorite?  
****I wasn't really in the mood to care though, because I would rather kiss a muddy Edward than a non-muddy somebody else.**

**New Teams:  
-Team i love lleighh for updating and making this chapter WONDERFUL! _(about chapter 20)  
-_TEAM I-BLAME-BROOKE!!  
-Team Thank Heavens That Bella&Edward are finally together again!  
-Team I'll stab Brooke with a spork if she won't freaking BACK OFF  
-Emeleigh-needs-to-keep-Edward-and-Bella-together  
-Team-I-am-so-glad-Alice-locked-them-away-and-that-Bella-and-Edward-sorted-their-shit-out!  
-Team Alice's plan was GENIUS!  
-Team being-locked-in-closet-and-making-up!  
-Oh-my-god-I-think-Brooke-deserves-to-be-stabbed-with-a-pen-and-go-burn-in-Hell-and-Edward-is-oh-so-cheesy-and-I-feel-like- screaming-and-dancing-because-they-finally-got-together!! _(this one is pretty graphic at first lol)  
-_TEAM I-WANNA-MAKE-OUT-WITH-EDDIE-IN-A-CLOSET _(yesss please.)_**

**Team Frysty News:**

**-Frysketeer icon (that is so beautifully displayed as my own icon) and Team Frysty banner are on my profile for all you members!! :)**

**-IMPORTANT: If you are a member (anyone can be, if you want) please add **frysty** at the end of your review or PM me so i can make up a list of all frysketeers :)**

**That is all! See you soon :) (for real this time)**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	22. I'm Never Letting Go of You

**A/N: I told you I would update soon ;)**

**BPOV**

Thanksgiving break was way too short. It felt like only this morning that I woke up next to Edward after mud fighting the entire day before.

_I could feel a wisp of air tickle across my cheekbone and strong arms flung across my stomach as they curled underneath my back. My eyes fluttered open and I turned my head a little to look at Edward's peaceful face while he was still asleep. His hair had gotten so long that it now fell into his eyes and his mouth was turned up into a small smile as his cheek rested against the pillow._

_I resituated myself so I was laying on my side, facing him and felt his arms instinctively tighten around my waist. I combed his coppery hair away from his face and placed a sweet kiss on his forehead, then snuggling back into his chest where I fit perfectly, dozing back off._

_I awoke again to Edward peppering kisses all over my face, "Bella." –Kiss- "Wake." –Kiss- "Up." –Kiss- "Bella." –Kiss- "Wake." –Kiss- "Up."_

_"I'm up." I smiled and let my eyes lock onto his._

_"Good morning." He smiled his cute, crooked grin and pecked my lips._

_"I don't want to get up. How about we just stay in this nice warm bed all day long?" I offered._

_"Well, seeing that it is Thanksgiving and you have to get home and help Renee set things up for your family that is coming over soon, I wouldn't think she'd like your idea too much."_

_I jutted out my bottom lip at the fact that he just basically rejected me and moved to stand up._

_"Where do you think you're going?" Edward yanked me back down onto the bed before I had a chance to scurry away._

_"You said I needed to get home, so I'm going home."_

_"I did. But I did not say I wanted you to leave yet."_

The rest of the morning was spent with me repeatedly telling Edward I had to go home now, and him saying something unbelievably sweet to make me stay 'just five more minutes.' I finally arrived back at my house around ten thirty to a frantic Renee who started to yell at me for being gone so long, but then got distracted and I got off the hook when she imagined the smell of turkey burning.

Grams and the whole gang arrived at one and I spent most of the afternoon entertaining my younger cousins. It had gotten a little easier over the years since they had gotten older, but now I had to answer question after question about Edward for Aaron, Alex, and Jack who completely idolized him and repeatedly assure Morgan that Emmett would stop by later (she never had gotten over her crush on him after he accidentally proposed to her). Samantha had matured a lot more and didn't feel the need to hang around the little kids anymore, so we talked about the cute boys in her class and what she planned on wearing to the middle school dance this winter.

Grams pulled me aside, wanting to know if Edward was still treating me well and to let me know she would still have all the Swan boys beat him up for me if I needed. Sometimes that woman was worse than Charlie.

After Thanksgiving dinner, Edward came to pick me up so I could attend 'dessert time' at the Cullens' house since Esme ended up making way more than she needed to (even with Emmett eating one whole pie himself). He brought along Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie and all five of them were immediately bombarded at the front door with Grams wanting to grill Edward for information again, Aaron, Alex, and Jack yelling for Jasper to play catch with them, Morgan clinging to Emmett's side after he scooped her up in his arms, and Samantha jabbering about clothes and makeup to Rosalie and Alice.

I just laughed at them all and fell back onto the couch, resting for the first time since that morning.

Eventually, I rescued my friends from the strong interest my family had in them and enjoyed delicious cherry pie where Emmett not so surprisingly tried to start a 'pie fight' but was quickly stopped when Rosalie threatened him if he got anything on her new white blouse.

After Thanksgiving the days just seemed to blur together. They were spent bumming around Forks and hanging out with my friends every night like old times. We caught up with Angela and Ben and somehow ended up heading to the high school gym for a girls vs. boys basketball game... surprise, surprise.

Now a week and a half later, I was saying goodbye to my parents, Esme, Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie because Edward and I were driving back tonight. The plan was since I didn't have class start up again until Tuesday, that I would spend the night with Edward at UOW before Jasper swung by and picked me up Monday night.

I didn't know how to feel about being in such close proximity with _the whore _(as I so lovingly called her now) that was almost the end of Edward and me. It didn't help the fact that Edward and I had yet to finish discussing the whore and what she had done yet. I planned on bringing it up during the long car ride we had where he had nowhere to escape and wouldn't convince me to just 'talk about it later.' Now that I knew what it felt like to think you're losing someone, I wasn't going to put things off until they got out of hand again.

Once we made our way onto the interstate I decided it was time, "Edward?" I reached over and lowered the volume of the radio so he knew I wanted to talk.

"Hm?"

"How close does Brooke exactly live near you…?" I began hesitantly.

I noticed Edward's shoulders tense slightly like they did every time I brought this up, but I ignored it. "I mean are we going to be running into her often or what? Because that would be really awkward. Not to mention, I don't know how I would even act around her."

I noticed that his shoulder slumped back in defeat after he realized we _had_ to talk about this, "She lives on the same floor as me, but in the girl's hall which is on the east half of the building. My hall is on the west half."

"Okay. But you know if I _do_ run into her, I will probably confront her, Edward."

"Bella…"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't." I challenged.

"I just don't want anymore fighting. I'm sick of fighting, Bell."

"Well, I still have a little more fight left in me and its directed right at her."

Edward just sighed and shook his head. I think he still didn't fully understand how messed up the things she did were.

"Edward, I can't just sit back and let her prance around like nothing happened after what she did. You were there, don't you remember how awful she was??"

"I guess…"

"No, I don't think you do. She freaking changed the entire message I asked her to tell you into sounding like I wanted to break up with you! How can you not see how conniving and jealous she is about us? And how she wants to get rid of me so she can be with you!"

"I do see all of that and I don't like her anymore than you do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't want to have any sort of contact with her at all. I never want to see her face again or listen to her whiney voice call me Edward or watch as she decides to wear the _one sweatshirt _she should have never even touched…" he said firmly.

"Wait, what did you say about a sweatshirt?" _I don't remember him mentioning anything like that..._

His eyes widened for a millisecond before he composed himself, "Oh. Nothing, nevermind."

"Edward, its probably not the smartest thing right now to keep things from me, especially when I _will_ find out about it at some point."

He mumbled something I didn't catch and suddenly became very interested in the car's license plate that was in front of us.

"I can't hear you."

"I said, Brooke asked if she could borrow a sweatshirt one day while we were playing duct tape bowling and it was right in the middle of my turn so I wasn't paying attention and I said she could." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Then she walked out wearing your Forks Basketball sweatshirt and I lost it. Thankfully, Claire stopped me from getting to mad at her by offering one of her own jackets when I told Brooke to take off your sweatshirt."

"What a bitch." _I was so pissed now, that whore better watch out._

We finally made it into Seattle around 5:30 that night. I had calmed down since our discussion in the car and it did make me feel better that Edward didn't like the whore at all either.

Edward wanted to take me to some pizza place he really like for supper, but wanted to see if Claire and Quil were back yet so they could join us, which led us to now where Edward was trudging up the flights of stairs with me perched on his back. (I had convinced him to give me a piggyback ride, claiming I was tired and my legs were stiff from the long drive. Really though, I just wanted to have a good hold on Edward, literally, just in case we saw the whore so she would know he was mine.)

I couldn't stop giggling because right after Edward had finished climbing the last set of stairs he tripped on the ledge of the doorway, entering his hall, and banged his head on the wall.

Then we heard a girl's voice ring out, "Edward, you're back!"

My giggles ceased and I snapped my head up and met eyes with her. Relief washed over me… somewhat, because I didn't even know who this chick was. The girl had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes, and when she noticed me her eyes lit up with recognition.

"You must be Bella! I have heard _tons_ about you!" she smiled and I smiled back politely, not willing to be friendly until I knew she wasn't out to steal my boyfriend too.

"Bella, this is Claire, Quil's girlfriend. Claire, this is my Bella." I heard Edward say from under me.

_Oh, Claire! I liked her._ "Nice to meet you, Edward has told me about you too." I smiled a little more genuinely now and shook her hand over Edward's shoulder.

"Is Quil back from break yet?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, I was just about to go meet up with him." Claire replied as she started walking down the hallway and Edward followed.

"Well, Bella and I were wondering if you wanted to grab some pizza with us."

"That sounds great, I'm starving!" Claire chuckled and opened the door to one of the dorm rooms.

"Cullen!" A very tan, skinny boy cheered.

"Hey Quil, how was your break?"

"Awesome, but probably not as great as yours…" he said in a sing-songey voice as he wiggled his eyebrows towards me.

"Probably not." Edward laughed, "Bella this is Quil. Quil, this is my Bella."

"It is very nice to meet you _Edward's Bella_." Quil smirked and earned a smack from Claire. "Don't make fun of them. I might like it if you called me 'your Claire' every once in a while too."

The restaurant was close so we ended up walking there, Edward faithfully carrying me on his back the entire way. Halfway through the trip though, I leaned down and whispered, "You can put me down you know. I can walk the rest of the way." Thinking his back was probably sore and legs tired from lugging me around everywhere.

"I'm good. I'm never letting go of you." He whispered back, his tone suggesting he wasn't even talking about the piggyback ride anymore.

We grabbed a table by the arcade, much to the boys' satisfaction, and ordered our food. Quil and Edward scarfed down about five pieces and then were off challenging each other on all the different games.

"It must feel good to have him back, huh?" Claire smiled warmly.

"Yeah, it is. I wanted to thank you, Edward told me about how you helped him see what the wh- …_Brooke_ was really doing to our relationship and the whole sweatshirt fiasco."

"Don't mention it." She waved dismissively, "Brooke _is_ a whore." She snickered, having caught my nickname, and I joined in.

We started talking about more casual get-to-know-you things like her major, how long she'd been dating Quil, stuff like that when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I twisted around in my seat and gasped in shock at the gray, dull eyes that were staring back at me.

"Hello, Isabella."

"Jane! What are you doing here?"

She gestured towards a pretty good-looking guy with dark hair that was having a conversation with Edward and Quil, "I am just visiting my boyfriend before I have to head back to the college. I assume you are doing the same?"

"Yes, I am." I replied just as robotically as she did.

"I also assume that you have patched things up with Edward, seeing that you two are here… together."

"Yeah… we did. How did you know we were even fighting?"

"Don't think just because we no longer socialize that I do not pay attention to what is happing in your life."

"Oh. Um, that's… sweet of you?" My internal stalker alert was ringing through my ears.

_ALERT! ALERT! CREEPY STALKER! ALERT! ALERT! THIS WOMAN IS STALKING YOU!_

"Yes, I suppose it is. I am just a caring person." She shrugged.

I had no clue what to say to her so I just smiled tightly and nodded along. Our conversation hung in the air, no one saying anything else, and Jane just sitting there mere inches from my face, staring at me.

I caught Edward's gaze and tried very hard to convey a cry for help to him through my eyes. It must have worked because the three boys came strolling over shortly.

"You ladies find something to chat about?" Quil asked cheekily, obviously knowing the situation.

"Yes, we did indeed." Jane stood up and hooked arms with the dark haired guy, "We must be off now, I'm sure you know as much as I do that our time together is precious. Have a pleasant night, everyone." She waved her hand sharply twice, and then whisked away.

"Wow… I thought Edward was just joking about her…" Claire said with her mouth gaping open.

"Sadly, no." I told her.

"And you had to room with _that_?"

"Sadly, yes." I sighed.

We had a good laugh over Jane's general creepiness and then joined the boys in the arcade. I totally owned Edward at the motorcycle racing and DDR, but he beat me at everything else.

_What can I say? The boy is skilled._

It was around eight o'clock when we started walking back to the dorms and I latched on to Edward's arm, never letting go, just the way he liked it.

We said goodnight to Quil and Claire so they could enjoy their first night back together, but not before I exchanged numbers with Claire so we could stay in touch. I really did like her, especially after getting to know her better.

Edward and I still had to unpack all of his things from the Volvo so we grabbed it all from the trunk and carried it up to his dorm.

_They really needed elevators in this place._

Seth wasn't arriving back until late morning tomorrow, so we had the entire room to ourselves. I found a good song I liked from Edward's iPod and turned it up a little, bopping to the beat as I put away some of his clothing. I secretly slipped in a few of my own things for when I came and visited again and just so he would have something that reminded him of me.

I also dropped little notes into his drawers when he wasn't looking. I had read the idea in some girly magazine of Alice's and thought it was the perfect way to make him feel better when we were apart and then it would make me feel better when he called to tell me he found them. It was a win-win situation.

I wrote various things on them, some were funny, some were simple 'I love you's', some were just plain corny, but they all would hopefully bring a smile to his face. Lord know we needed a little more happiness in our relationship over the past two months.

A few of my favorites were:

_Knock, knock?_  
_Who's there?_  
_I love…  
__I love, who?  
__I love you!_

_I'm never letting go of you._

_I really, really, love you._

_Remember when I kicked Jonathan Newton in the balls? And remember, you said it was hot? :)_

_Dear Edward, ily._

_I'm craving a frosty and fries right now. You should know that I renamed it. When you eat fries dipped in a frosty you are supposed to call it a 'frysty' :)_

_Remember when Rosalie yelled out my number to you at that carnival?_

Those were just a few of the multiple little pieces of paper I scattered all in his drawers. Now, the only hard part would be keeping him from finding them until I left. I also had a letter to leave for him, but I was going to wait and hide that right before I left.

After I finished that, Edward and I sat on his bed with a huge pile of clothing I got to choose from to take back with me. I ended up snagging two of his sweatshirts, two pairs of basketball shorts, and one zip-up hoodie back in my bag to take with me.

I zipped up my suitcase and tackled Edward onto his tiny twin size bed, "What should we do now, Mr. Cullen? You have me for the entire night, tomorrow morning, and tomorrow afternoon, you know."

"Hm, I do. What _should _I do with you, Miss Swan?" He mumbled into my hair as I snuggled into his side.

**EPOV**

I have been on freaking cloud nine since patching things up with Bella. Thanksgiving break was the best, just being able to relax from all the stress of school and fighting.

When we got back to UOW, I was excited and nervous to introduce her to my friends. After our talk about Brooke in the car, I knew Bella was going to be a little skeptical about everyone I hung out with after what happened. Thankfully, Bella liked Quil and Claire a lot and they seemed to get along really well. This only proved to me more that Brooke had caused all the problems Bella and I were experiencing before.

At _Pizza!_ I could barely control myself when I realized Jane was here too visiting Alec. I won't ever admit this to Bella, but I was the one who urged Jane to go over and talk to her just to see her reaction.

And boy was it worth it.

Jane went up and tapped Bella's shoulder and when she turned around her eyes grew wider than the size of cupcakes. Jane said something to her and her eyes flickered over to where Quil and I were talking to Alec before they glazed over and she tried to pretend to actually be interested in what Jane was saying.

When Bella started to shoot me pleading eyes, I knew it was time to swoop in and save her.

We got back to the dorms and said goodnight to my friends, wanting to spend the rest of the night alone before Bella had to return back to Washington State. We goofed around while Bella helped me unpack and I saw her trying to be sneaky when she was putting shirts into drawers, but didn't call her out on it. She was obviously excited with whatever she was doing and I would find out eventually, I'm sure.

Then we divvied up some of our things so the time apart wouldn't be so unbearable without the reminder of each other. I ended up getting the same sweatshirt of Bella's back (after she made me promise to make sure no one but me touched it), a blanket of her's, and a couple t-shirts that fit me.

We were now laying together on my bed with her head resting on my shoulder and my hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"What time do you have class tomorrow?" she asked suddenly.

_Crap. I forgot all about that. _"My first class is at ten in the morning and then I have another right after lunch that gets over around one o'clock."

"Okay. Jazz said he was going to be here around five tomorrow night."

I just nodded, not really wanting to dwell on the fact that Bella and I would be split up again, especially after what happened to us the last time we were apart.

She must have sensed my feelings because her head tilted up and she placed a soft kiss on my jaw, "It will be better this time. You got me that webcam, remember? And plus, Christmas isn't too far away."

"Your right." I smiled and kissed her back. "Plus, I said I wasn't going to let go of you, so I'm not too worried about losing you."

"Exactly." She hummed happily.

"Edward!!" _Knock, knock, knock_ "I saw your car out front, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! Open the door!" A chipper, girly voice echoed from the hallway.

I panicked. I knew who that was and from the looks of it, so did Bella.

Bella pushed herself off the bed and started stomping to the door, but I restrained her arms at her sides before she got a chance to reach the doorknob.

"Edward, I swear, if you don't let go of me I might actually hurt you while trying to get to _her_." She growled.

"Bella, you have to calm down." I said softly. She was scaring me a little with the way she seemed ready to pounce on Brooke the moment I opened the door.

"Edward?? Who are you talking to?" Brooke asked, surprised, like I was supposed to be alone or something.

I didn't answer her and whispered, "No physical fighting," sternly to Bella before moving to open the door, because she would try and slap Brooke if she got the chance. I honestly didn't care what happened to Brooke, but I didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of the hallway or have Bella get hurt.

She rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement so I swung open the door, revealing 'the whore' on the other side.

"He was talking to _me_." Bella sneered and Brooke's smile immediately fell.

**A/N: Uh-oh. Cliffy!**

**NO WAY, JOSÉ!! 650+ REVIEWS?!  
YOU GUYS = AMAZINGREADERSTHATITOTALLYLOVETOPEICES!**

**ale phoenix translated/is in the process of translating "555-1073" into español :) and I'm pretty sure she's going to translate "Really, Really" when its done too.  
even though you probably don't read spanish you should go tell her how freaking awesome she is!  
her link is on my profile, so you have no excuse not to go... just sayin'**

**Favorite?**

**The return of JANE!! :)  
_(that was for you nougat81 haha)_**

**New Teams:  
-Team-emmett-is-amazing-and-brooke-should-go-die-in-a-hole-and-we-should-dig-that-hole-for-her!-ILL-BRING-SHOVELS!  
-Team brookes a bitch and i wana poke her eyes out and leave her in guatemala under water when she sleeps and thank god edward got his shit ogether cuz alice is a genius and emmetts a stupid lovable teddy bear who is so immature but finally bella and edward are happy together  
-Team Bella-can-beat-Brooke-in-a-mudfight-anyday!  
-Team I-wish-I-could-fall-asleep-with-Edward!  
-Team i love lleighh for updating and making this chapter WONDERFUL!**

**Team Frysty:  
If you have not let me know you want to be on team frysty and would like to be, add that little **frysty** at the end of your review or PM me :)**

**Phew! That was a loonngg A/N... I will update soon :)**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!!**

**Emeleigh**


	23. AURHHGHHAAHH!

_She rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement so I swung open the door, revealing 'the whore' on the other side._

_"He was talking to me." Bella sneered and Brooke's smile immediately fell._

**BPOV**

Edward cleared his throat uncomfortably as I glared daggers at her and waited to see what she would say next.

"I didn't…uh, I didn't realize Edward had any company over." Brooke fumbled over her words.

_Yeah, that's right. You better be afraid of me, whore._

"Oh, well now you know." I said overly-sweet and started to shut the door in her face.

"Hey! Wait a second-" Brooke slapped her hand to stop it from closing, "I came to say 'hi' to Edward."

I lifted up my right eyebrow, effectively shooting her the bitch-brow, and placed my hands on my hips, "Okay… go ahead."

She looked at me hesitantly before focusing her attention on Edward, "Hi, Edward. How-"

"Alright, you said your hello. You can leave now." I interrupted her and tried closing the door again.

She stopped me, _again_, and looked a little annoyed, "Excuse me, what is your problem?"

"You." I said simply, before attempting _yet again _to close the door.

"Me?" She asked, shocked.

Then I snapped. And this was worse than when I snapped on Edward, the whore knew what she had done and was now playing dumb with me.

"Did I stutter?" I asked flatly.

She just stared at me still looking shocked, so I continued, "Don't stand there and act like you don't know _why _I don't like you. To name a few reasons I don't have to like you: you pine after my boyfriend, tried to break us up, and did I mention pine after Edward?"

"Listen here, Bella, Edward and I have been friends since the beginning of the semester and I will _not_ stop talking to him and hanging out with him just because his girlfriend doesn't like me, so stop trying to ruin Edward and mine's friendship over lies."

"Lies? Edward please tell me what you said Brooke told you the message from me was." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked over at a very irritated Edward.

"Actually, I'm sure Brooke remembers it better than I do. She did make it up after all." He said rather calmly.

_That's my boy!_

I focused back on Brooke and her face had paled, "I have no clue what you are talking about."

"Bullshit." I spat. "You told Edward that I wanted him to leave me alone which was completely wrong, and I took the liberty of making sure he knew the truth over break."

"Edward, do you honestly believe her? I swear I gave you the exact message Bella gave me." She started sputtering off.

"I do believe her. And I would like it if you left, it would probably be in your best interest to leave me alone from now on." Edward replied and then leaned in, stage whispering to Brooke so I could still hear what he was saying, "Bella can get a little physical."

I tried so hard not to laugh right then. This was just too perfect.

"Why?" she whispered softly back to him.

Edward straightened back up and furrowed his brow, "Why, what?"

"Why can't you see how much better I am?"

I stood there silently, wanting so badly to rip her a new one and name off all the reasons why she can't break the two of us up, but I bit my tongue, letting Edward deal with her.

He moved to answer her question, but the whore cut him off, "I understand that you have been dating her for like two years and you were first loves, _blah, blah, blah_. I get that. But don't you ever wonder if you're missing out, Edward? There are tons of girls that would go out with you the second you became single. And I would be first in line."

She had somehow maneuvered her body into the room and shut the door, so now it was Edward, Brooke, and I in this confined space, no witnesses, and no one to hold me back. Plans started formulating in my head of how I could inflict damage to her face and most effectively pull out chunks of her hair.

Broke made a move to get a little closer to him and I tensed up, getting ready to make my attack, but Edward pushed her away, "No, Brooke. You obviously don't understand, because if you did then you would see that _nothing_ you will ever say or do would make me want to be with anyone other than Bella."

"Not even this…" she said so quietly I almost didn't hear her. But I did, and as she started to move her lips closer to Edward's, I pounced.

The anger, and frustration from everything Edward and I had ever been through coursed through me. I remembered back to when Tanya tried to get between us, to when Jonathan tried to break us up, even when college tried to keep us from each other. I was through with standing back and letting these people and things mess with our relationship.

I was taking control.

I jumped in between the two of them and pushed Brooke back by her shoulders. I knew all I really wanted to do was punch her in the nose, but it didn't seem like the situation had come to that yet.

And oh, how I wished it would come to that...

Brooke narrowed her eyes at me and pushed me back, "Go away. You always ruin everything!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you trying to kiss my boyfriend." I snorted.

"He deserves to know what it feels like to kiss someone else. Someone _worth_ kissing, and un-chapped lips." She snapped.

"My lips are not chapped and Edward does not want to kiss you! He made that very clear. Now. Get. Out."

I grabbed her wrist and started to yank her out the door while Brooke clawed at my hand and even tried biting it once. I used all of the strength I had to swing my arm around and throw Brooke out into the hall, tripping her with my right leg. The girl was kind of heavy, so I had to strain to stay balanced as she toppled over.

I very maturely stuck my tongue out at her as I shut the door before she even managed to try and stand back up. I spun around and found Edward staring at me with his mouth slightly agape.

"Thanks for your help, there Edward." I said dryly.

"Uhh…sorry..." He said slowly, his eyes looking spaced out and emotionless. I walked up to him and snapped my fingers in front of his face, "Edward!"

"What? Oh! Sorry, sorry! I- Did- What just happened here?"

"Well, I basically kicked Brooke's ass." I smirked.

"Oh, right. Nice job." He chuckled and shook his head, "Sorry I just kind of… uh stood here… I was in shock. Was she really about to kiss me?"

"Uh… yeah! And thanks to me you didn't have to endure that." I said, poking him in the chest.

"Thank you, Bella." He walked up and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"You're welcome." I mumbled against his lips as they crashed down on mine.

"AURHHGHHAAHH!" I broke away from Edward quickly and snapped my head to the door where Brooke was throwing a fit behind it. Her screams started to fade away and I could only guess that she was walking back to her own dorm.

_Good riddance, whore._

"Looks like I took care of her." I said smugly and shoved my hands into Edward's hair, bringing his lips down to mine again and kissing him just because I can and Brooke can't.

_Hah._

-:-:-

"Uh… hi. I don't know if you remember me…" I said awkwardly… because I was in an awkward situation.

"Yeah, of course. Good morning, Bella." Seth smiled and dropped his bags on top of his bed.

Edward had left for class a little while ago and I was lounging around his dorm room messing around on the Internet when Seth arrived back. It startled me at first because I thought some random guy was just waltzing into the room, or worse, Brooke was back.

But it was just Seth. I had only met him once and talked to him on the phone a couple of times, so I didn't really know what to say to the guy.

"Good morning, Seth. How was your Thanksgiving?" I decided to go with small talk and hoped that Edward would return before I ran out of things to say or Seth had to leave before that happened.

"Great… if you don't mention my up-chucking turkey dinner all over my mom's white tablecloth." He made a disgusted face and I laughed, "Does it taste better or worse the second time around?"

"Worse, much worse." He chuckled, throwing things into his book bag.

"Do you have class?" I asked, motioning towards the textbooks he was holding.

Seth looked down at his watch and then back at me, "In about fifteen minutes. But I have strict orders to transport you to the café and keep you company until Edward arrives."

I rolled my eyes and got up from my spot on Edward's bed, "Of course you do."

We must have taken up enough time walking across campus to the school's food court because Edward was already seated at a table when Seth and I arrived. The two boys exchanged and manly-pat-on-the-back hug before Seth had to head over to his class.

"I probably could have found this building myself, you know. You didn't have to send a tour guide with me."

"Well, tour guide-slash-body guard. Brooke walks these campus streets too." He smirked as we got in line at the burger place.

"I could take her." I murmured for my own benefit because Edward had already started ordering his food.

I had a quick lunch with Edward before he had to rush off to his last class of the day. I had to convince him that there was no need to call one of his buddies to escort me around again and literally pushed him away so he wouldn't be late.

I exited the building and walked aimlessly along the walkway. Was I actually hoping to run into Brooke? Maybe.

I spotted the bookstore and decided to go check it out, but as I began walking over there I fell behind two girls gossiping.

And one of them was Brooke.

"-It was horrible! You should have seen the look on Edward's face. It was practically screaming at me to help him get rid of her!"

I bit back a snort and kept listening.

"So then what did you do?" her friend asked.

"I went in for a kiss, but the bitch went all ape shit on me and cuffed my hands behind my back! Look, I even have bruises!" Brooke lifted up her limp wrist where you could see absolutely nothing but her friend gasped in horror anyway.

"Then she threw me out in the hallway! I could probably sue her, too. My back is killing me from the fall."

"Yeah, my uncle's a lawyer. I can totally hook you up." Brooke's friend said encouragingly.

I lifted my hands and started clapping them together. Both girls froze and slowly turned around to face me.

"Nice story, Brooke. Its way more interesting than the original, how'd you come up with that?"

"You know what they say, the best stories evolve from real-life experiences." She sneered.

"And you do know that they say about whores, don't you?"

"No… what?" the friend asked me with true curiosity.

"Shutup, Bree!" Brooke hissed, "Bella, you can stand there and talk all you want, but we both know who gets to see Edward everyday once you leave."

"And we both know who he ended up kissing him last night, too." I said casually and started walking towards the bookstore again, "accidentally" ramming Brooke with my shoulder as I passed.

"AURHHGHHAAHH!" I heard her squeal again as I opened the door.

_Hah._

-:-:-

**Be there in 30 min. –J**

"So she really screamed in the middle of the commons?" Edward asked me as he helped pack my duffle bag.

"Yup, and it was worse than last night's. I'm talking Alice's high-pitch, Emmett's volume, and Rosalie's anger all mixed into one."

"Whoa."

"I know. My initial reaction was to get away because I thought she might chase after me and I don't know how fast she is." I chuckled.

"She's not the… athletic type, you don't have any worries."

Edward and I went outside and waited in the parking lot for Jasper, stealing random kisses and making the occasional joke about Brooke.

Around five, Jasper rolled in and my chest immediately started tightening up. I was hoping it wouldn't be as hard to say goodbye this time as it had been all the others, but I guess I was wrong.

"Hey, man." Jasper bumped fists with Edward and then came over and gave me one big squeeze of a hug.

"That's from Alice." He snickered and released me.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in months, Jazz, but its only been like two days!" I told him, completely surprised.

I hadn't realized how much I had missed him and Emmett, not to mention Alice and Rosalie... and my parents. _Now I'll miss Edward too, but I won't miss Jasper and Emmett anymore because I live with them. Silly me. So now I only have to worry about missing Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Mom, Dad, Esme, Carlisle, and about a trillion other people._

I'm going insane from all of this. I just started rambling to myself in my head and now Edward and Jasper are laughing about something I missed.

"You tripped her, B?" Jasper fell into a fit of laughter, clutching his sides.

I smiled proudly, "I sure did! I also shoved her in the shoulder earlier too."

"Emmett will be so proud." He said seriously, but still laughing his butt off.

We finished relaying the events of our encounters with Brooke to Jasper and after a good round of kicks and giggles, he said bye to Edward and went to start the car, giving us a moment alone.

"I'm not crying this time." I said, determined as my voice cracked.

"I'm not saying goodbye this time." Edward whispered and laced his fingers through mine.

"Me either." I sniffled and buried my face in his chest.

I could hear his heartbeat, feel his breaths, and smell the scent of Edward's cologne and I didn't want to leave. Ever.

But I had to and I knew that I would be seeing him in less than a month so I put on a brave face, "I'll see you later?" I offered with a small smile and kissed the area over his heart.

"See you later." Edward smiled back and fused his lips with mine. He tightened his hold around my waist and pulled me in to his warm body, making me miss the month i would be without his contact already.

We pulled away and I hugged him one last time before Edward followed me to the car. He opened the door for me and I slid in, "Oh! Make sure to call me when you find them." I smirked.

"Find what?"

"You'll see. I love you, Edward." I leaned up and wrapped my arms around his neck for _just one more _squeeze.

"I love you too." He placed a tender kiss on my forehead, softly shut the door, and Jasper drove away.

Our trip was silent, both of our mind's miles away where our hearts were. I decided that leaving Edward was always going to be hard. There was no getting around that, but coping with our time apart seemed to feel a little easier now that our relationship was stronger.

We both knew now that neither of us had any intention of finding someone else. Edward and I were it for each other. We were the real deal. Whoever wants to try and test that can bring it; we'll see you at the wedding.

_Hmm, weddings… Edward would look great in a tuxedo._

-:-:-

It was seven fifty four when we parked back in the lot at Washington State. I happily stretched once I was free of the small confines of Jasper's little car. Shaking out my legs, I winced when my right leg throbbed a little.

_I must have done a number on Brooke when I tripped her…_

Emmett was sitting in the middle of the floor in the lobby, drumming a beat on the floor when Jasper and I entered the apartment building.

"Um… Em?" His head snapped up towards me, "What exactly are you doing?"

"FRIENDS!" He boomed and lunged at the two of us, pulling Jasper and I into a group hug and almost knocking me over from the force he used.

"Rough day, big guy?" Jasper teased as he humored Emmett and hugged him back.

"You have no idea! Aside from us, J, and J, everyone in this building is crazy!" he made the twirling motion with his fingers as he explained some of his run-ins with the neighbors, "I got back like _two hours ago _and none of you were here, so I started wandering the halls and this one guy stopped and asked me if I wanted to come party with them and I was like 'Who doesn't wanna go to a party?' So I followed him all the way to the top floor where the party was and it was_ totally lame_! All the girls were on one end of the room, and all the guys were on the other end. It was like a friggin' middle school dance! I mean who calls that a party?"

Emmett looked truly baffled by this, but kept with his story, "Then I had to walk all the way back down the stairs and met a someone who I couldn't tell was a man or woman and a girl wearing a potato sack. An actual potato sack!"

Jasper and I just stared at him. I had no clue how to reply to that.

I didn't need to though, because Emmett threw his arms around us again, "I missed you guys."

**EPOV**

The next morning I woke up to my alarm and a scent that is purely Bella wafting through my nose. I rolled over to wrap my arms around her and… nothing. I reached for her body again and grabbed air.

_What the heck?_

I pried my eyes open, burning my corneas from the bright sunlight, and looked around. Her sweatshirt was laying beside me, but no Bella.

_Ohhh riiiiight. She left yesterday._

Cue pout………now.

Throwing my legs over the mattress and onto the floor, I padded over to my dresser to pull out a t-shirt for today. I pulled out a random green one and saw a little peice of paper fall to the ground.

I bent down and unfolded it.

_**I bet you woke up this morning thinking, "Man, I miss Bella." Well, I miss you more.**_

I smiled at the little white slip. This must be the thing Bella mentioned yesterday before she left that I was going to find. _I wonder if there's any more…_

I rifled through my drawers and found a gazillion more, small papers with little sayings and thoughts Bella had written down.

Once I had read through all of them, I found a pair of jeans and got dressed. My first class was in twenty minutes, so I decided to just start walking there early so I could take my time and enjoy this rare, rainy-less fall day.

I grabbed my book bag, zipped up my jacket, and headed towards my class' building.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I could feel a pretty large, rectangular shape in my left one, so I pulled it out and it was a sheet of notebook paper folded up.

I opened the paper and saw the lines filled with Bella's handwriting, instantly smiling again.

_Dear My Edward,_

_I hope you didn't find this right after I left, because that would be a little disappointing, seeing that I spent forever thinking of the perfect place to hide it where you could find it, but not too easily. Anyway, I would have rather told you this in person, but I never would have gotten it all out due to nervousness. Okay so, here it goes… _

_I'm glad that we had a huge fight, I'm glad that we were so mad at each other we couldn't even talk without yelling, and I'm glad that we worked through everything. I hate Brooke more than when my mother ropes me into her little projects, but I really should thank her. If she hadn't of interfered in our perfect little bubble of love we had created, then we wouldn't know what its like to not have each other and realize that I need you and you need me. All that time I sat in my room and mourned over the garbage can that was our relationship, it was always in the back of my mind that I couldn't live like this for much longer. I needed to make up with you or I would have spiraled down into a shell of a person. I know its cliché, but you complete me. You are my better half. Without you, there is no me. Its like Peanut Butter and Jelly, except we're Edward and Bella. (You're Peanut Butter, and I'm Jelly) We just fit together. All I'm trying to say is that I feel like we are a stronger couple now and anyone who tries to tear us down will fail. Epically fail. So, with that being said, I wanted to let you know that you are the end of the line for me, buddy. No more fishing for me, I don't need to sow any wild oats or go man hunting. You are the one. And I'm sorry to say that if you don't feel the same way, well, I can't really help that. You are stuck with me. S-T-U-C-K! If you try to run, I'll catch you and if you try to send me away, I'll find a way back; all Bella, all the time. I've already begun planning our wedding in my head, so you better be planning how you will propose to me. I'm expecting something amazingly sweet, something very Edward. I love you. I love you. I love you. And I'm never letting go :)_

_Love,_

_Your Bella_

_P.S. You will have to help me decide maid of honor. I don't think it will be pretty when I have to choose. Picking the best man won't be a walk in the park either. Maybe we should just let them fight it out? Winner gets the MOH/BM spot? That sounds good. Oh, and you have to wear a tux. No excuses. With a bow tie and everything, like James Bond._

**A/N: I know all of you were hoping for a serious cat fight, but Bella is not a violent person lol. She may think about punching Brooke repeatedly, but how many of you think the same things and then never _actually _punch them? ;)**

**.**

**We've passed 720+ updates! You guys put the happy in my ness :)  
AND i reached 40 followers on twitter! For all you twitterific tweeters, i love you too :)**

**.**

**I have decided to only pull a few teams from the reviews now. They are all great and i love when someone makes up a new team, but there are soo many of them haha. If you want to check out all of the teams you will still be able to find them in the reviews :)**

**New *selected* Teams:  
-Team who wants to help me tie Brooke to a tree and hit her with a bat like a pinata?  
-Team-unleash-Bella-on-Brooke!  
-Team The Whore is going DOWN.**

**Team Frysty:  
Still going strong! We have new members every day :)**

**.**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	24. When The Time Is Right

**A/N: NOTICE! I changed my username. It is now _lleighhh_ instead of _'lleighh. _Just becuase that's what my e-mail address is and I want them all to be the same. If i can figure out how, I'll be changing my twitter username as well. But I haven't yet so its still _ lleighh _:)**

**AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT FAVORITE PART LAST CHAPTER!  
so thank you to those who pointed that out :) here is my fav part from Ch 21:**

_P.S. You will have to help me decide maid of honor. I don't think it will be pretty when I have to choose. Picking the best man won't be a walk in the park either. Maybe we should just let them fight it out? Winner gets the MOH/BM spot? That sounds good. Oh, and you have to wear a tux. No excuses. With a bow tie and everything, like James Bond._

**Okay, go read now!**

**EPOV**

_Uhh…marriage? Like with rings and a church and a priest and everything? I'm getting married?_

Not gonna lie, I was partially freaking out.

_Marriage?_

It wasn't about a fear of commitment or not wanting to marry Bella. I was totally all for that. I mean, gas up the car and let's head to Vegas! I'd marry her tonight if she wanted me to.

The thing that got me was realizing that I was old enough to get married and that everything would change from here on out. I would probably only live at my parent's house for a couple more years before finding my own apartment and I'd finish undergrad in four years. In four years I will be 23 years old!

_Wow. Nice addition skills there, Cullen._

When did I start growing up? It only feels like last week that the only thing I had to worry about was if the cologne I was wearing was too strong or not. Now I've got to think about what type of part time job I should get so I'll have rent money for an apartment, moving away from home for good, actually proposing to Bella…

_Wait. One. Second._

_Crap, shit, dammit! Are you freaking kidding me here? How am I going to come up with a proposal? And when should I propose? Is she expecting a ring now, soon, later?_

I was getting quite a few concerned looks from my fellow classmates as they all filed into the room, weaving around my stiff stance right in front of the doorway while I clutched Bella's letter.

One guy just plowed right through me, making me stumble over to the side. I realized now was not the time to start wigging out about the possibility of ruining what is said to be the best moment in a girl's life. I can't take all the pressure!

I guess I'll just have to freak out about it later. I needed to grab a seat before the professor started his lecture.

I carefully folded the note back up, placed in my jacket pocket where I found it, and unsuccessfully forgot about it during class.

-:-:-

Voicemail from **Edward** to Emmett:

**"Hey. I… uh, I need your advice on… something. Call me back as soon as you can. And can you please make sure Bella doesn't know… about this? 'Kay thanks, bye."**

-:-:-

Call from **Edward** to _Jasper_:

"**Jasper!"**

_"Yeah…?"_

"**I need your help! How do I propose to Bella?"**

_"You're going to ask Bella to marry you?"_

"**Well not if I don't know how to!"**

-:-:-

Call from **Edward **to _Esme_:

"**Mom, I have a hypothetical question…"**

_"Okay, what is it?"_

"**If someone were to, hypothetically, ask another someone to marry them… how would that person go about doing... that. Hypothetically."**

_"AHHHH!"_

"**No! Mom, no! You better not hang up on me and then call Renee! This is a _hypothetical question_, meaning I might not be talking about Bella and myself…"**

_"But you are asking me to help you figure out how to propose to Bella, right? Right?"_

"**Please don't tell anyone! Especially Renee and Charlie, I still have to talk to them."**

_"AHHHH!"_

-:-:-

Voicemail from **Emmett **to Edward:

**"Dude, I don't know if I'm the best person to get advice from. Unless your problem has to deal with Rosalie or food… then I might be able to help."**

-:-:-

I shook my head as I deleted the voicemail from my inbox, laughing at myself for even calling Emmett first. Of course he wouldn't help me; he's Emmett.

Then I fumbled over the buttons a little as I called Bella and took a deep breath when she answered the phone.

"Hey!"

"Hey. You know, usually I would feel violated if someone went through all my things to hide little notes around the room, but I actually didn't mind this time." I smirked.

"Hmm… well whoever wrote you all those notes must really love you."

"Yeah, I know they do. Especially after I read a letter they wrote me…" I smoothly tried to shift the topic of conversation over to how she brought up marriage.

"…What did you think of the letter?" she asked shyly.

"I definitely feel the same way."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"So I didn't scare you off with the whole 'I'm going to marry you someday' speech?"

"Not at all. But I was wondering when you figured 'someday' would, uh… be." I'm pretty sure my voice cracked a little just then. _Geez, I need to chill out… and stop sweating._

"Oh you know, whenever… I think we should probably wait until we're at least in the same fifty-mile radius before we start planning that kind of stuff. Don't you think?"

_Oh thank god. Now I actually have time to think through all of this._

"Whatever you want is fine with me, babe." I chuckled, enormously relieved.

"Hey Edward?"

"Hm?"

"Is there a reason your mom called me a little while ago screaming?"

_Can't that old woman just keep her trap shut?_

-:-:-

Call from **Jasper** to _Alice_:

**"Edward asked me how he should propose to Bella."**

_"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"_

**"I just did!"**

_"WHEN-? WHERE-? WHAT-? I NEED DETAILS, JAZZ!"_

**"Okay, first of all you need to stop screaming."**

_"OKAY! I mean, okay. What do you mean Edward is proposing to Bella? OhmygoshIhavetocallRose!"_

**"Wait! Alice, I didn't say-"**

-:-:-

Call from **Alice** to _Rosalie_:

**"EDWARD AND BELLA ARE GETTING MARRIED!"**

_"NO WAY!"_

**"Yeah! Jasper just told me Edward is going to propose to her! And I bet he'll do it soon!"**

_"NO WAY!"_

**"Yes! EEEEEE!"**

-:-:-

Voicemail from **Jasper** to Edward:

**"Hey man, uh I just wanted to warn you about Alice. She knows about the whole proposal thing…"**

-:-:-

Well this is just fine and dandy. Alice knows about my proposal freak out and that girl does not have a small mouth. I estimate that Bella will find out about the whole thing in about…two hours max.

My phone started ringing and guess who it was? Little Miss Blabbermouth herself.

"Hello?" I sighed, awaiting whatever shrieking she was about to do.

"EDWARD!" I had to hold the phone at arms length to keep from having an ear drum rupture.

"What?"

"You have to run your proposal plans by me first! If I don't think they are Bella-worthy you'll just have to come up with a different way to propose. Now, send me a picture of the ring so I can let you know if you need to buy a new one or not."

"I don't have a ring."

"WHAT? EDWARD CULLEN, DO NOT TELL ME YOU WERE GOING TO ASK MY BEST FRIEND TO MARRY YOU WITHOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!"

"I'll get the ring! Don't worry about it, Alice."

"You better." She threatened and then hung up.

-:-:-

Call from **Alice** to _Rosalie_:

**"He doesn't even have a ring yet!"**

_"Is he stupid?"_

**"Basically, yeah."**

_"Do you know how he's planning on asking her?"_

**"Nope, but I did inform him that he was to run all proposal plans by me first."**

_"Good."_

**"Do you think Bella has any clue as to what's going on?"**

-:-:-

Call from **Rosalie** to _Emmett_:

_"Hey Sugarlips!"_

**"Hey Emmett. Listen, is Bella acting any way out of the ordinary?"**

_"Nah, still the same old B. Why?"_

**"Well I just wanted to make sure she didn't know about the whole proposal thing."**

_"WHAT?"_

**"Edward didn't tell you he was planning on asking Bells to marry him soon?"**

_"WHAT? THAT LITTLE-"_

-:-:-

Call from **Emmett** to _Edward_:

**"I have known you your entire life and you did not think that I should know when you plan on popping the question?"**

_"I didn't think it was that big of a deal-"_

**"NO BIG DEAL? YOU ARE GOING TO MARRY BELLA!"**

_"Shh! Don't let her hear you! And I don't know why you're getting all worked up. Its not like I'm going to do it in the next week or anything…"_

**"You're not?"**

_"No…"_

**"But Rose said, that Alice said, that Jasper told her, that you said you were proposing soon."**

_"No!"_

-:-:-

Call from **Edward** to _Jasper_:

**"You told Alice I was going to propose soon? Why would you do that, Jasper? Why?"**

_"I didn't! She wouldn't let me finish telling the whole story!"_

**"Ughh! This is turning into way more stress than it needs to be…"**

-:-:-

Call from **Emmett** to _Rosalie_:

**"Edward said you are wrong."**

_"I am not wrong! …about what?"_

**"He's not proposing to Bella anytime soon."**

_"WHAT?"_

-:-:-

Call from **Rosalie** to _Alice_:

**"EDWARD ISN'T GOING TO PROPOSE!"**

_"WHAT? Not if I have anything to do with it!"_

-:-:-

Call from **Alice** to _Edward_:

**"You listen to me Edward, you are going to take Bella out to a nice dinner, tell her how much you love her, get down on one knee, AND THEN ASK HER TO MARRY YOU!"**

_"No."_

**"NO?"**

_"I'll ask her when the time is right."_

**"Who are you, Bob Barker?"**

_"That's _The Price Is Right_, Alice…"_

-:-:-

Call from **Edward** to _Esme_:

_"Did you do it? What'd she say? When should I make an appointment at the dress shop?"_

**"I'm not asking her anytime soon. I talked to Bella about it and we both decided that it would be best to wait until we actually get to see each other daily again."**

_"Oh…"_

**"But, I was wondering if you would like to take me ring shopping sometime?"**

_"Oh yes! Yes! AHHHH!"_

-:-:-

Call from **Esme** to _Renee_:

**"After you talk to Edward, call me so we can set up a night to go out!"**

_"Why would Edward be calling us? And why would we need to go out?"_

**"You'll seeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! AHHH!"**

_"Alright, dear…"_

-:-:-

Call from **Edward** to _Carlisle_:

**"So how do I ask Charlie if I can marry his daughter?"**

_"Well son, its just as simple as saying, 'I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage.' He might ask you why you're good enough for his little girl and you should tell him how much you will care for Bella, never cause her any harm, and how much you love her."_

**"You think he'll tell me I can't?"**

_"I guess we'll find out soon enough."_

**"Oh boy…"**

-:-:-

Call from **Edward** to _Charlie_:

_"This is Chief Swan."_

**"Hello, Chief. Its Edward Cullen and I was wondering if it was possible to have lunch with you sometime before the holidays."**

_"And why exactly would you like to have lunch with me, Edward?"_

**"To speak with you about your daughter."**

_"I see. How about you call me again the day before you plan on coming back home for Christmas and we'll schedule something then."_

**"Sound good, Chief Swan. Thank you."**

-:-:-

Call from **Renee** to _Esme_:

**"OH. MY. GOODNESS!"**

_"HE CALLED?"_

**"HE CALLED!"**

_"AHHH!"_

**"AHHH!"**

-:-:-

Call from **Charlie** to _Carlisle_:

**"I just had a conversation with your boy."**

_"You did?"_

**"Uh-huh. You should have heard his voice crack, this proposal business is a lot more fun than I anticipated."**

-:-:-

I fell back onto my bed, letting out a big breath that I had been holding the entire time I was on the phone with Charlie. At least I finally got all that over with and now the only hard part was trying to keep all these damn girls' mouths shut, figure out how I will actually propose, and buy a ring.

_I wish it was the girl's job to do all of this…_

I decided that since I had done nothing but make phone calls all day that it was about time to get some work done. So I fired up my laptop and let my fingers tap across the keyboard as I wrote out an essay.

I finished as quickly as possible so I could talk to Bella before she went to bed. While still on my computer, I figured it couldn't hurt to see if Bella was online with her webcam.

I opened up the application and saw _Bella_Swan _and _Brookerzzz _at the top of my online friends list.

_Well let's just delete the whore right now before she tries to talk to me…_

I had done a fairly good job of staying away from Brooke, but that was only because it was the first day Bella was gone and I had only ventured out of my room once today, for class.

I blocked Brooke completely so she wouldn't be able to try and contact me anymore and then I requested to chat with Bella.

She accepted and the little window with my Bella's beautiful smiling face popped up.

"Hey." I grinned goofily, remembering that I would be asking her father permission to marry the most amazing person I have ever known in a matter of weeks.

"Hey. What have you been doing all day? I tried calling a couple of times but it went straight to voicemail…"

I rolled my eyes, "Well Alice called and screamed my ear off, so I don't really remember that conversation because I didn't feel like listening to her yell," I only half lied, "And I talked to mom and dad today. Then I just finished up some class work a few minutes ago."

"Ohh, well I was a pretty ticked off because both my classes for today were canceled because of some maintenance work in the building, which meant I totally could have spent another day with you." She pouted.

"We'll see each other soon though. I'm already trying to set up my schedule so I can plan to leave the earliest possible during winter break."

"Good." Bella nodded, "But I think I'll still beat you home because Washington State gets out a day earlier than UOW. Hah!" she giggled as she rubbed it in my face.

"You know… since you're driving back a day before me and everything, you should try to convince Emmett or Jasper, or whoever you're hitching a ride with to just drop you off here. I'll get pretty lonely driving allllll that way back alone." It was my turn to pout this time and I tried to make mine as affective as Bella's.

"Talk to your brothers. They're the drivers, not me buddy."

We talked for about an hour longer, mostly about plans we had over winter break. It was safe to say that both of us were pretty stoked to have three and a half weeks off to just be with each other again.

I went to bed that night looking like I had a hanger permanently wedged into my mouth. Seth even commented that I was starting to look a little creepy just laying there in the dark, smiling.

It didn't faze me though. I still grinned as I thought about Bella, because not only was she just my girlfriend anymore, she was Bella, my girlfriend/future-fiancé/eventually-my-wife.

And that was _so_ cool.

**A/N: I wanna hear your thoughts! Drop me a line or two about how/when you think Edward will propose :)**

**Favorite Part!**

_"I'll ask her when the time is right."_

**"Who are you, Bob Barker?"**

_"That's _The Price Is Right_, Alice…"_

**Teams!**

**-Team I-wanna-see-Edward-in-a-tux  
-Team I-Can't-Sleep-When-I-Know-A-FANTASTIC-Chapter-From-lleighhh-Is-Waiting-For-Me-To-Read-It!**

**-No new frysty news but i'm still working on the master list of members! :)**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighh )**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	25. Stupid Sense Of Humor

**A/N: I did end up changing my twitter username as well! It is now- www . twitter . com / lleighhh  
So if you're not following me, go and do that now ;)**

**All of your proposal ideas were interesting... let's see if you were right ;)**

**BPOV**

Edward has been acting… weird. Like, 'this-isn't-my-Edward' weird. It's starting to scare me a little…

It all kind of seemed to start the moment Jasper and Alice dropped me off at UOW so I could ride the rest of the way back with Edward.

He was a perfect gentleman by carrying all my bags up to his dorm for me, opening the door and allowing me to go through first, and then it got awkward. He basically just stood there grinning at me. Then finally I got him talking about all the presents he got everyone for Christmas, which distracted him for the time being. Things were normal again until the next day when we were on the interstate and I was explaining to Edward how my mom has been all giggly lately. After I told him how she calls me everyday, asking if anything exciting happened he burst out laughing.

Out of nowhere.

Since then it just feels like everyone I know is in on this inside joke I know nothing about.

When we got to Forks, everyone was over at the Cullens' house, naturally, and when we walked into the room its habitants got suspiciously quiet and their gaze flitted to Edward.

Weird.

He uncomfortably cleared his throat, clapped his hands together, and made a big waving gesture while saying 'hey' to everyone, which then made them all frown and return to what they were doing before. The next day I didn't hear from Edward at all until later that night. He had spent the whole day in Port Angeles with Esme doing something I wasn't allowed to know about.

Even more weird. I always know what Edwardis doing.

...Well most of the time at least.

Christmas and New Years flew by. The days were filled with wrapping presents, opening presents, eating good food, decorating for parties, and having parties. And each day things would get weirder and weirder.

Like on Christmas Eve when Edward stopped by, Renee got all giggly again and it seemed to make Edward completely uncomfortable. His eyebrows were knit together the entire night and when we emerged back downstairs after exchanging presents, Edward disappeared with my dad while my mother (rather roughly) pulled me into an empty room and felt up my hands. When I asked her what in the living heck she was doing, she scoffed and said that it was her job as a parent to make sure I don't bite my nails anymore.

…Even though I'd never done that to begin with.

That didn't even compare to New Years Eve. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, Edward, and I pretty much just hung around each other, not wanting to interact with the drunken adults, and I caught Rosalie and Alice shooting fire beams through their eyes at Edward multiple times. I tried to remember either of them telling me why they were so pissed off at him, but kept drawing a blank. About fifteen minutes to midnight, Emmett and Jasper whisked me away to help them find the noisemakers they apparently lost. I distinctly remembered them sitting in a box right beside me, but both boys were adamant that those were not the right ones. When I started to hear people shouting out the countdown from fifty, I didn't really care about helping anymore and went to find Edward so I didn't miss my New Year's kiss.

I found him in the kitchen by himself, hands shoved in pockets, and a conflicted look painted on his face. I didn't have a chance to ask him what was wrong though, because cheers rang out and I got pulled into my first kiss of the New Year.

And it made me forget what I was going to ask him in the first place.

The weirdness continued on even when I had to say goodbye to Edward again after break. That was the point when I decided things were getting just a little ridiculous. I wanted to know what was going on.

Now, I was standing at the counter, munching on my Cocoa Puffs breakfast, and trying to understand it all.

Emmett and Jasper slowly filtered into the room after waking up and they were both staring at _me_ as I stared off into space with what I assume was an agitated expression on my face.

"Looks like B is a little grumpy this morning." I heard Jasper stage whisper to Emmett.

"You think she even realizes we're in the room?" Emmett whispered back.

"Well considering I can hear you talking about me, its safe to say I do." I replied flatly, still not looking at them.

"Ah, I was right. She is extremely grumpy." Jasper smirked.

I glared at him and threw the cereal box at his head.

"Noooooo!" Emmett hollered and saved his precious chocolate before it hit the ground. "Listen B, I know your not in the best mood right now, but what did Sunny ever do to you?"

(…Sunny is the Cocoa Puffs bird if you didn't already know. I was educated on this months ago when I accidentally confused him with Toucan Sam from the Fruit Loops box. Emmett got surprisingly offended at that...)

I didn't answer him as I went over to the sink to rinse out my bowl, but asked my own question, "Is someone going to tell me what the big secret is or do I just get to stay out of the loop you all have created?" My tone was rather venomous when I think about it, but I was pissed. My best friends, family, and boyfriend were all keeping something – what seemed like a _pretty big _something – from me.

"What are you talking about?" Jasper asked, his voice void of the amusement it had before now.

I waved my hands dramatically, "You know very well, Cullen. Ever since Christmas you all shoot each other little glances, nods, _what-the-fuck-ever_, and I stand there watching it all wondering what is _so_ secret that I am not allowed to know!"

Emmett started to say something, but I cut him off, "And what is up with your brother? I thought the two of us just got through an awkward, fighting phase, but apparently not because he gets all stutter-y and quiet when I try to talk to him about anything now!"

"UHHHHHHH!" I groaned and stopped off to my room, not caring what they had to say anyway.

**EPOV**

"Eddieee… you've got some 'splanin to do…"

That was the first thing Emmett decided to say to me when I answered my phone.

In a Mexican accent, and a very bad one at that.

Obviously there is only one response someone can say to that, "What?"

"Bella is onto you."

"She knows about the ring?"

"No, but she knows something is up and she knows that we know about it. And _she_ knows that _you_ know that we know about it. And Bella is not happy about that."

"How bad is it?" I winced, thinking about Bella's face when she's mad.

"Wellllll… it's not good. She went off about how all of us – you, me, Jazz, the girls, her parents – are keeping secrets from her and how you're acting all funny."

And here I thought we were doing so well, keeping her from suspecting anything, "So what is she doing now?"

"She stomped into her bedroom and locked the door."

"This is not good. At. All."

"Um, you think? At least your hundreds of miles away and you don't have to deal with cranky, emotional Bella first-hand!" Emmett ranted.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry I'm going to fix it."

"How?"

"I haven't really figured that out yet."

"Hey, I have an idea; propose already!"

"_No_!" I whispered. Although I was only whispering so Bella wouldn't hear, which doesn't make sense since she can't even hear me when I talk in a normal voice.

"Why the hell not? You've been putting it off for like a month! Man up and do it already!"

"You do it already!" _Don't ask me why, I don't know… it was the best comeback I could come up with…_

"Fine!" he yelled into the speaker and then I heard his heavy footsteps pound on the floor, followed by a loud banging.

"BELLA! Bellllllaaaa! I have a question!"

"Emmett! NO! I was just kidding!" _I should know better than this. Seriously, 'You do it?', is that the best I could come up with?_

_"What?" _I heard Bella growl after I assume she opened her door.

_"One second, I have to get down on my knee…"_

"Emmett! Get up right now!" I continued to yell at him.

_"B, Will you marry me?"_

There was no answer to his question, only the sound of a door slamming closed, hopefully from Bella slamming it in Emmett's face.

"Now, did that sound so hard to you? Its only four words, man."

"I cannot believe you just did that!"

"What? You told me to."

"I wasn't serious!"

I didn't wait for Emmett so say anything else. It wasn't worth my time to sit here and argue with him so I just hung up the phone.

Truth be told, I was too scared to pop the question. Everybody was expecting me to do it on the drive back to Forks for winter break, when they noticed I hadn't, Alice told everyone I was planning on doing it Christmas Eve. When I didn't do it then either, Charlie took me aside and I thought he was going to shoot me, honestly. But he actually told me about when he decided to ask Renee to marry him, about how his mother – the one and only Grams that was in the next room from us – pressured him to do it at the perfect moment, in the perfect setting, on the perfect day.

Long story short, Charlie tried and failed multiple times when asking Renee to marry him. Something always ended up going wrong and he never got around to it. Then one night they were by themselves, just hanging out and he did it. Right then.

That's when I realized all I needed to do was wait for the moment. I wasn't going to plan anything fancy or extravagant; Bella wouldn't like that. I was going to ask her when I felt like it.

So… after Christmas Alice decided that now the only logical time to try and ask again would be at New Years, specifically at 11:59 right before the ball dropped.

I tried explaining to the girls that I wasn't going to propose until I thought it was the best time, but do they listen? No, because its Alice and Rosalie. You wouldn't believe the verbal abuse I received when Bella was not sporting a diamond at 12:01.

Since then, I've received the silent treatment until I can 'properly ensure that Bella will become a Cullen in the near future.' Its not like they're punishing me in any way; I mean having Alice and Rose not talk to me and annoy me with this whole engagement business until I actually do it? I'm the luckiest man on Earth.

But I didn't factor into the equation that Bella might start to piece things together. I figured she wouldn't really notice anything different. I thought I had been relatively normal lately, well, minus the octave higher my voice gets when she brings up anything that reminds of the ring in my pocket. That's why I've been avoiding her calls a little more than usual lately and…

Oh. My. God.

I am such and idiot.

No wonder Bella thinks I'm acting funny… its because I_ am_.

**BPOV**

_Stupid Emmett and his stupid sense of humor. _

Why in the world would he just randomly pound on my door and ask me to marry him? It doesn't make any sense.

Then again, when does Emmett make sense?

I decided that even though I was mad at everyone for keeping secrets from me, I needed to call Rose and tell her about this. It was just too funny not to.

"Hello?"

"Guess what Emmett just asked me?"

"Oh lord, do I even want to hear this?"

"Yes, its funny. Well at the time he asked me I was pretty pissed off, but now that I think about it, it's hilarious." I silently chuckled while replaying the scene in my head.

"Alright, what did he do this time?"

"I was really mad – I still am, at all of you, but that's not the point – and I was in my room when Emmett started banging his huge fists on my door yelling about how he had to ask me a question. So I opened the door and he said something like, 'Hang on, I have to get down on one knee.' Then he asked me to marry him. Your boyfriend is weird." I snickered.

"He asked you to marry him?"

"Yup."

"Why?" Rose asked in a weird voice. It wasn't friendly-weird either.

"Gee, I don't know Rosalie. Why does Emmett like to run around in the rain with only a pair of shorts and socks on? He's _Emmett_." She was starting to irritate me with her harsh tone and it didn't help the fact that I was already grumpy.

"Okay, okay. Maybe you need to take a nap sweetie; you're seem a tad cranky."

_Unbelievable_, "Me? You're the one who's getting all weird when I tell you a story that was meant to be funny. You know what? All of you are acting really different lately and I don't like it. Not to mention all of your little secrets from winter break that no one wants me to know about." _Yeah, I brought that up again._ Maybe I was getting a little childish with the whole secret business, but right in that moment when I was still mad I didn't really care.

"Oh, no Bella we're not keeping secrets-" she started to assure me.

"I'm not dumb Rosalie. You're keeping something from me, all of you, even Edward and I have a right to be mad about it so don't try to apologize yet because I'm not done being angry."

"Okay…"

"Goodbye Rose."

"Bye Bella…"

How did a phone call that was supposed to end in us laughing at how stupid Emmett was turn into _that_?

**EPOV**

"So she's like really, really pissed?"

"Well I think she's more hurt than anything. I would be too if I thought all my best friends were keeping stuff from me, y'know?" Rose sighed.

"Yeah, I understand where she's coming from, but what do you want me to do?"

"I think that's pretty obvious Edward." She said flatly.

"I can't propose yet."

"And why not? Its not Bella is it? If you're having second thoughts about whether you want to be with her or not, then you are a clueless jackass. Bella is the best thing that has ever-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't say it had anything to do with Bella. And did you know you haven't called me a jackass since 11th grade?" I snickered.

"Well I guess you should have been expecting it sometime soon then, huh? It was _way_ past due. Now tell me why you can't. " She demanded.

"I'm not going to ask Bella to marry me just because you or Alice or our mothers want me to. This isn't about any of _you_. Its about Bella and me, but mostly Bella. So I'm going to do it when I think she would want me to, how she would want me to, and when she would want me to."

"…Okay."

"What?" I hadn't expected her to agree with me that easily.

"Okay. You're right."

"Thanks, Rose. Now if you could tell Alice that, I'd really appreciate not having to repeat the whole speech to her." I breathed out a short laugh.

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

"You're a jackass."

**BPOV**

Not wanting to run into two certain roommates/ex-best friends of mine, I stealthily tiptoed to the front door and put on my jacket. I had decided that I shouldn't have to be holed up in my room the entire day even if I was mad and figured a walk would be a nice way to think through all of this. Plus I could let some of my aggression out by kicking a tree.

Before sneaking out, I left my cell phone and a note on the counter telling Jasper and Emmett I wanted to be alone and not to come find me because I didn't want to be bothered.

I found a trail near the basketball courts and started following it into the woods. It was still a bit damp outside from the small showers we had over night, but it made the forest smell all nature-y so I didn't mind.

I followed the path for a long time, just enjoying the peace and quiet, not having to worry about secret-keeping friends and a weirdo boyfriend.

A while later I had started regretting not bringing some form of clock. I had no clue how long I had been out here, and it was pretty cloudy outside so I had no way of judging if it was getting close to night time or not.

I shrugged it off; I wasn't in too much of a rush to get back to real life anyway. Though, I was getting annoyed with the throbbing going on in my right leg. Brooke really must have done a number when she tripped over it. It's been sore since then, but I guess all the extra use today is really doing something to it.

I shrugged that off too, there was probably nothing wrong with it and I was just being a baby.

I found a dry, clean log that was set at the bottom of a small hill and decided it couldn't hurt to sit and rest it for a while before heading back.

While sitting there, I tried to come up with any reason why my friends and family would keep something from me. I wouldn't mind if it didn't seem like such a big deal, but they all were trying so hard to keep me from knowing about whatever it was that I knew this was some big. Something important.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a twig snapping. You know how in horror movies when something is about to jump out from behind a bush and eat you alive and you hear that single twig snap, signaling something was moving around back there? Yeah it was that kind of a sound.

Not wanting to stay around and play out the rest of the horror movie I had running through my head, I figured it was time to go back.

I rose from my make-shift bench and trudged back up the incline. I must have hit a slick spot of mud because I felt my foot slip out from under me. I tried regaining my balance by shifting all my weight onto my left leg, but that didn't work. My whole body lunged forward and I fell face first into the mud, slamming my right leg into a nearby tree on the way down.

I groaned in sheer agony. The last time I had felt like this was two years ago, but I had already past out from the pain. This time, I wasn't so lucky.

I rolled down the hill the rest of the way and dug my hands into the ground, trying _anything_ to relieve some of the splitting aches that shot up my leg.

Nothing was working though. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it back; I didn't even want to think about trying to walk. I didn't have a phone and I was god knows how deep in the woods.

This was bad.

Really, _really_ bad.

**EPOV**

I had just worked up enough nerve to call Bella and try to patch things up with her, when her caller id flashed across the screen.

"Hey, Bells. I was just about-"

"Its not B, this is Jasper." He sounded slightly out of breath and I wondered what was going on.

"Jasper? Why do you have Bella's phone?"

"She left it at the apartment earlier when she went on a walk, along with a note telling us that she left. About five minutes ago we got a call from the hospital…"

"No. _No, no, no_. Jasper if you say-"

"Someone found her back in the woods close to the apartment. Emmett and I are on our way to see her now. We called Charlie and Renee and they're waiting for us to call them back to see if they need to make a trip up here."

"Is she bad?"

"We don't know, Emmett practically hung up on the nurse and grabbed his keys after he heard her say 'Bella Swan was emitted in the hospital.' We don't know-"

"I'm on my way."

**A/N: Phew! So did anyone catch the little hints I was dropping the last few chapters pointing to the last scene? If you did you deserve a nice pat on the back. And if you can tell me what they were, you might even find a teaser in your review reply ;)**

**.**

**Favorite:**

**Emmett's proposal and Bella's reaction... hence why i named the chapter after that part lol.**

**.**

**Teams:**

**-Team lleighhh's phone calls had me rolling on floor laughingg**  
**-Team edward makes a hell of a lot of phone calls**

**You guys, I need more teams! Those were the only two suggested this time around!**

**.**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighhh )**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	26. Just The One Place Right?

**BPOV**

"Bella? You have to tell me what hurts or I can not help you." The perfectly pronounced, crisp words echoed in my ear.

I was squeezing my eyes very tightly closed – which seemed to help me forget about the pain _just_ enough to keep me from passing out– but the moment I heard that voice, they snapped open.

Never to this day would I have thought that Jane, of all people, would be my hero. It kind of made me feel a little guilty for not giving her more a chance in the beginning.

Here I was, all alone in the woods and she so happens to be nearby… wait. Okay, so maybe it wasn't _so_ weird that she was the only other person in these deserted woods with me. I mean, this is Jane my creepy ex-roommate who used to watch me while I slept.

"Leg." I hissed through the pain, letting her know what was wrong.

"Do you need to see a doctor?"

_Why no, actually I feel like skipping through a field of wildflowers. Yes I need to go see a doctor!_

I decided I didn't have enough strength to tell her all that so I just settled with nodding my head.

For being so thin and sickly looking, Jane was freakishly strong and managed to cradle me in her arms as we made our way back up the path. It seemed to take forever to make our way back onto campus, but I couldn't tell if that was because I had really gone that far in or I was so focused on my injury that it just felt like that long a time. Then Jane broke out into a sprint and before I could register what was going on, she had me laid out in the backseat of her car.

I was momentarily stunned by the watermelon scent wafting in the air. I wouldn't have pegged her for a fruity-scented car freshener girl.

Then I was reminded of the situation by another excruciating sting in the side of my knee. I wanted so badly to go get Emmett and Jasper first, but when yet another stab of pain flared through my leg, I knew I wouldn't be able to last that long.

The cease of vibrations from the car was the only indication I had that we had arrived at the hospital. Jane quickly scooped me up again and headed straight for the emergency room.

When we passed through the automatic doors, a series of Jane's strong, clear voice and orders from the nurses surrounded me. I was passed from Jane to a nurse and then placed on a very uncomfortable bed where a doctor started pressing various points around my ankle and knee.

I watched silently, tears stinging my eyes as Jane disappeared from the room. I started sobbing then, wishing she would come back so I had anyone here that could comfort me. Even if it was my Loony Roomie…

After only a few seconds one of the nurses walked up to me with the biggest needle I have ever seen in my life and she was aiming it at my arm.

_Huh-uh. No way. That weapon is not penetrating any part of my body._

I started shaking my head furiously and crying even harder. The nurse tried restraining my arm against the bed but I started thrashing it around so she couldn't get a hold of it.

I didn't want to be doing this right now. I wasn't strong enough right now to do this without someone here. I needed anybody with me here that could calm me down.

_Preferably, Edward._

I started to feel myself getting weaker and weaker from dealing with the pain and chick fighting with the nurse so I just gave up. My arms and legs went limp, I closed my eyes, and I laid there, just praying that the needle didn't hurt worse than my leg did right now.

I kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting, but never felt anything. When I opened my eyes back up the nurse with the needle was talking to two figures in the doorway. Namely, Emmett and Jasper.

I was so happy that they were here that I started crying all over again. They must have heard me because all three heads whipped in my direction and the two boys pushed past the nurse and came to my side. Emmett walked around to the right side of the bed and sat down pulling me into a one-armed hug. I felt Jasper cup my left hand into his two larger ones, but couldn't see because Emmett had me in a vice grip.

Then I felt the metal, pointy tip pierce my skin as it dug past layers of skin and into a vein. Jasper held my hand firmly and Emmett rubbed my back until I felt the needle exit and I started to feel whatever it was' effects.

I could feel myself slipping into a small nap from the exhaustion, but before I was out I heard Emmett scold gently, "You better never do this to me again, B. When we get home you're… grounded or whatever. You're in trouble."

The last thing I remembered was forming a small smile on my lips to let Emmett know I accepted full responsibility for my actions.

.

I woke up a short time later, or the whole next day later for all I knew. Either way it was still bright outside. My vision was a little blurry and I was a little disoriented,_ man I did not miss being on this stuff_. I tried to adjust myself in the bed, but the fear of jostling my leg kept me from getting as comfortable as I wanted.

Jasper and Emmett were still there and watching me cautiously as I regained full coherency.

"What time is it?" I felt my words slur slightly. _I don't remember feeling this… drunk last time_.

"About one thirty. How are you feeling?" Jasper's voice sounded like smooth silk and was very gentle.

"Just a little… out of it." I sighed, "How much damage is there?"

"The doctor said it looked liked your knee had been a little strained before hand, but you re-fractured it today." He said apologetically.

"But just the one place, right? Not three places?" I tried to lighten the mood a little.

It worked, "No. This is definitely not as bad as last time."

"I beg to differ. I actually had to suffer through the pain…" I grumbled.

Jasper smiled and shook his head. I took that moment to glance over at Emmett; he was surprisingly quiet and had the biggest frown on his face. I don't think I had ever seen Emmett frown. Ever.

"Em?" I asked timidly. His eyes reached mine and all I wanted was for him to come over here and hug me.

"Bella, I just have one question." I waited, "What were you doing? They told us you were found in the woods. _The woods_. When the hospital called I honestly thought you were going to die. Why would you do that to me? To Jasper? Edward? Everyone else?" he looked like he was fighting on whether to yell at me or ask if I was okay.

"But I'm not dead. See?" I waved a hand around for emphasis. That didn't please him. He just shook his head and slouched farther down in the chair.

"I was mad. Okay? I was mad that you and Jasper and Edward and everyone was keeping secrets from me. Friends don't do that. So I went to the last place anyone would come looking for me. I didn't realize how far I had walked until I couldn't see anything but trees anymore. I'm sorry. I really am." My eyes welled up and I didn't know what to do so I just wrung my hands in my lap.

"But Edward asked me to protect you. I was supposed to make sure you were happy and healthy, then you go and pull a stunt like this!"

"Em I-"

He interrupted me, "You didn't see how broken Edward was the last time you were in the hospital. And you two hadn't even been dating that long! Bella, you are Edward's whole world. He is wrapped around your pinky, even if you don't know it and if you were suddenly just… gone, I don't even want to imagine what Edward would do."

"I'm sorry!" I sobbed, "I know it was stupid, but when I'm mad I don't think and I'm _so sorry_!"

The look on his face softened and he was at my side instantly, "Geez, don't cry Bella. Shh, shh. It's okay." He hugged me close and ran a hand over my hair, "I'm not mad. You just scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry," I whispered again. My voice was hoarse and scratchy, it sounded so unfamiliar. But all of this was unfamiliar; Emmett had never, ever been mad or hurt or anything but happy at me!

"I know, its okay." He started rocking us back and forth then and I had never felt closer to Emmett than I had before. He was the older brother I always wish I had. Now, though, it truly felt like he was. I didn't care anymore, I was introducing Emmett Cullen as my older brother to everyone now.

I finally smiled as Jasper came over and rubbed my back.

...And I decided I would introduce Jasper as my best friend.

.

After our big crying fest/heart-to-heart, I called my parents and let them know what was up. They insisted on driving over, but I told them not to. It was too far of a drive to just get here and watch me lay in a bed the rest of tonight and tomorrow morning, then hobble around for another couple of months with that damn brace again.

I thought about calling Edward, but he was probably studying or logging in extra hours for his residency stuff. I didn't want to scare him with what ended up as a false alarm.

The doctor came by and showed me my x-rays. I'd fractured the bone right about where it almost connected to the knee. I told him about the whole Brooke incident and how it had been sore the last few days and had told me that if I hadn't of seen a doctor about it soon I would have been in close to the same situation I was now in a month.

_So _technically_ I was doing myself a favor. Getting it done and over with, right? I mean, come on, we all knew I wasn't going to go to the doctor for my sore knee any time soon._

Then one of the many nurses that had stopped in my room said she had a visitor with her. I wasn't sure who it was, but when Jane walked in I was filled with so many emotions.

"How are you feeling, Isabella?" She asked carefully. I didn't even try to correct her for calling me my full name. She practically saved my life, she can do what she wants.

"I'm doing good. I wanted to thank you for helping me back there." I offered awkwardly. I had never felt anything more than creeped out by Jane, but now I kind of wanted to hug her.

_Eh… maybe not quite yet, but I was getting there._

"It was no problem at all. I was just on a walk and heard you scream, so how was I supposed to ignore a plea for help?"

"I just… is there any way I can make it up to you?" I felt like I owed her. Big time.

"No. Nothing, Isabella. I'll see you around campus when you have returned. Goodbye." And then she left.

"Thank you, again…" I mumbled even though she probably didn't hear me.

"I swear, if she hadn't of saved your life, I would feel like calling the cops or something right now." Emmett muttered.

.

It was pretty boring, sitting in a hospital, just waiting to be released. After countless minutes of playing 'Guess Which Number I'm Thinking Of' with Emmett, I resorted to calling Alice and Rosalie and letting them in on the news.

I almost forgot that they didn't know anything and thought I was healthy and well. Boy did they remind me of how clueless they were.

.

Call from **Bella** to _Alice_:

**"Hey, Ali. So uh… I'msortainthehospitalrightnow."**

_"WHAT?"_

_**(I should have known she would understand all that)**_

**"I fractured my knee… again."**

_"WHEN?"_

**"Like… two, three, maybe four hours ago…"**

_"HOW?"_

**"I slipped on a muddy hill."**

_"WHERE?"_

**"In the woods."**

_"IN THE WOODS?"_

**"Yes, Alice."**

_"WHY?"_

**"Oh you know, just felt like I hadn't seen the men in the white lab coats in a while… thought I should pay them a visit."**

_"Don't get sassy with me, Bella."_

_._

Call from **Bella** to _Rosalie_:

**"Hey Rose…"**

_"Hey Bella…"_

**"So. I fractured my leg. How has your day been?"**

_"In three places again?"_

**"No…"**

_"Oh? Just two this time? Or was it more, like four or five?"_

**"Shutup, Rose! I thought you would at least feel some sympathy for me."**

_"Oh, honey I'm passed that. Emmett called me when you were out cold. I had my time to be worried, now I'm just wondering how you did it... again."_

**"Shutup, Rose!"**

.

I tried calling Edward a couple times, but he never answered his phone.

Oh well.

If he can keep secrets so can I.

_Yeah... I guess I hadn't really gotten over that yet..._

**EPOV**

After hanging up with Jasper, I made sure I had my keys, wallet, and phone and bolted to my car. All that kept running through my mind was: Bella's hurt. Bella's not okay. Get to Bella.

Nothing else mattered.

I stabbed my key in the ignition and cranked the engine on before flinging the gearshift into drive and peeling out onto the street.

The whole trip up there I was completely on edge. My hands were shaking on the steering wheel and my foot gradually pressed down on the gas pedal more and more as I got closer to Bella. I tried calling Jasper and Emmett multiple times but they never answered, which drove me even more insane than I already was.

After way too long, I finally made it to the hospital in Pullman and hightailed it to the ER. The nurses in reception were unsurprisingly startled when I crashed into their desk demanding to see Bella. When they just stared back at me, slack-jawed, I started for the back rooms where patients were held, figuring I could find her faster myself.

"Nah-ah-ah, dear. Only family is allowed back there at the moment." One nurse who magically found her voice again said as she blocked my path.

I wondered for a split second how Emmett and Jasper managed to get back there before I blurted out, "I'm her fiancé."

"Seriously?"

"Yes! Go ask Emmett and Jasper. Aren't they with her?"

"Yes, Miss Swan's brothers are back there. Should I tell them Edward has arrived?" she asked in a snotty tone.

"Please do." I mentally rolled my eyes; Bella's brothers? _They don't even look alike._

The nurse reappeared a few seconds later, not looking pleased, "You're clear. Go ahead."

I said a quick thank you and burst into the hallway where Jasper was standing outside what I assumed was Bella's room, smirking. "Fiancé, huh?"

I scoffed and pushed past him, "Brother, huh?"

"Fair enough." He snickered and followed behind me.

When I entered the room, Emmett was sitting in a chair with his legs propped up on Bella's bed flipping through a magazine. Bella had her eyes closed, but her fingers were tapping a rhythm on her stomach.

I felt Jasper lean up and whisper in my ear, "She's not asleep, woke up a couple hours ago; she's just 'resting'. And by the way, we didn't tell her you were coming."

"Jasper, what are you mumbling about to yourself over there?" Bella's sweet, snarky voice rang out.

"Oh nothing. Nothing at all." He snickered and pushed me forward.

Her eyes were still closed as I leaned down and brushed my lips against her forehead before backing away slightly so I could see her face.

Her eyebrows knit together for a millisecond before they popped open and she grabbed my neck, bringing it down to crash her lips onto mine.

"This feels a little too familiar…" I mumbled against her lips, thinking back to the last time she had scared the shit out of me.

"Mhmm. At least I wasn't in a mini-coma this time around though."

"Yes, thank you for not checking out on me again." I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"We'll just… leave you two… alone…" Emmett drawled out, adding a very dramatic wink as he and Jasper exited.

I shook my head and focused back on Bella, "How long are they making you stay?"

"Just until tomorrow morning. You know, after they fit me with a brace and everything…" She said with a very obvious edge to her voice. _I forgot how much she hated that thing…_

Just then a nurse whizzed by the door, but back-tracked, entered the room, and smiled at us, "I see you found your fiancé."

My face paled. _Crap. This was not how she was supposed to find out._

I just smiled tightly as the nurse rushed back down the hall and hesitantly looked at Bella.

Her face was scrunched into the most adorable, confused look ever. "Edward… why did she just call you my fiancé?"

_Do it. Now._

And so I did. I quickly helped Bella sit up fully, and then backed away from the bed enough to kneel down. I was on both knees as I fished the box out of my pocket, but quickly shifted and raised my right leg so I was down on one knee in front of her hospital bed.

"Edward…"

"Shh, Bella."

I watched her take a big swallow and then began my speech.

"Bella, I love you so much. You are… _everything_. You're the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning, what I dream about in my sleep, smart, funny, beautiful, you keep me on my toes, I don't deserve you but I can't imagine living life without you. When you wrote me that letter, it got me thinking about us. Us, for the rest of our lives. I want that." I could feel the burning sensation in my eyes and started to blink rapidly. I was a man. I would not cry. I would not cry.

I would _not_ cry.

"I know we're only nineteen, but we can stay engaged as long or as short as you want. Its all up to you, as long as I know someday you will be my wife." I took one huge deep breath before I laid my heart to her out for the taking.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you marry me?"

A small gasp escaped her lips and from the corner of my eye I could see Emmett and Jasper peeking around the corner.

Suddenly this roomed seemed entirely too small and over heated.

She looked me straight in the eye, "Is this what all the secrecy was about?"

_Not the first thing I had expected to come from her mouth…_

**A/N: hahahaha! don't hate me, once i start on the cliffhangers, i can't stop :) plus, its my story and i can do what i want. so :P  
and tell me, honestly, who saw Jane coming? were you surprised?**

**.**

**Favorite?**

**Definitely when Jane came to the rescue.**

**.**

**A Few (selected) Teams:**

**-Team-Emmett-can-propose-to-me-any-day  
-Team-coco-puffs-should-never-be-wasted-by-being-thrown-into-jasper's-face **_( one of my most favorite teams so far!)  
_**-Team Edward needs to propose! **_(this was a collective team idea from just about everyone haha)  
_**-Team Bella needs to stop breaking her leg  
-Team Renee-is-so-obvious-for-"feeling up"-Bella's-hands **_(our first renee team!)_

_**.**_

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighhh )**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	27. He Did It!

**A/N: Okay, so I didn't even realize how far along we were in this fic. I'm sorry for not warning everybody, but this is the last chapter...**

_Previously:_

_She looked me straight in the eye, "Is this what all the secrecy was about?"_

_Not the first thing I had expected to come from her mouth…_

**BPOV**

I could visibly see Edward sweating now. It was kind a cute actually, him thinking that I was going to say no.

_…Like anyone in their right mind would ever say no to Edward Cullen._

I heard him gulp and then he nodded his head.

Then the goofiest grin spread across my face and I swear it was going to break in half.

"YES!"

"Wha-?" Edward looked like I caught him completely off guard.

"Yes, Edward! I'll marry you!" I squealed and flung my arms around his neck.

"You said yes." He mumbled into my hair, "You said _yes_." He started to pull away. "You said yes!" and then he captured my bottom lip in between his hastily and I could still feel him smiling against my mouth.

And then in true Edward fashion, his kissed me once more, walked out of the room, and then I heard him screaming in the waiting room, "SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!"

Emmett and Jasper had to pull him back in the room when a very angry nurse started yelling at him for being a disturbance and ordered him out. I could still hear him clear in my room when he sang, "That's okay, I'll just head back to the room _my fiancé _is in!"

Emmett and Jasper clapped his back, congratulating him when I realized my left hand felt a little empty.

"Edward…"

"Yes? What is it, Future Mrs. Cullen?" he said with the crooked smile and came to my side.

"You never gave me the ring…" I mean, wasn't that customary? Boy asks girl to marry him, girl says yes, boy puts ring on finger, _then_ they celebrate.

"Of course! Yeah, yeah, here it is." He fumbled around with the small black box and I didn't even see the ring clearly until it was perched on the third finger from my thumb.

"Oh… my… It's gorgeous, Edward." The ring was very simple, but if you looked closely you could see the fine detail. It was me.

It was a round diamond, not too big and not so small you couldn't even see it, with a diamond-plated 'U' on each side to hold it in place. Their were little engraved patterns all around the outside of the band and it fit perfectly.

Edward was holding my hand and running his fingers across the bottom of it. "You remember that day during winter break when my mom took me to Port Angeles?"

I hummed in response and he smiled, nodding down at the ring. "That's what we were doing."

"How long have you had this planned?" I asked in awe. That seemed like forever ago now that it was February.

"Ever since that letter you left in my jacket pocket. I kind of freaked out and called everyone, asking how I should propose that day… and that's why my mom called you screaming her head off." He smiled sheepishly, " I had just told her I was going to ask you."

"Wow. And you managed to keep me from suspecting something for at least two months."

"It wasn't easy, Alice was relentless. She called everyday asking if I had done it yet."

I shook my head still trying to wrap my head around that this had been on Edward's mind for three whole months.

When a nurse came to check on me again, it brought me back to reality. "Should we call everybody?"

Edward shrugged, "Yeah… just don't let Alice start planning everything yet. Once she gets going, she won't stop and then next thing you know, we'll have a life-size ice sculture of the two of us."

"Good point." Everything was just moving so fast and I felt like I should move with it. But no, this was mine and Edward's thing; we were going to do it our way.

The good way.

.

Call from **Bella** to _Renee_:

**"Mom?"**

_"What is it, sweetie? Are you okay?"_

**"I'm fine, the doctor is just making me wear a brace again… and crutches. But that's not why I called. I have good news."**

_"Oh?"_

**"Yeah… Edward asked me to marry him!"**

_"FINALLY! Oh honey, I'm so happy, but I have got to tell you, that boy took FOREVER!"_

.

Call from **Bella** to _Esme_:

_"Bella? Everything alright?"_

**"Oh yeah, everything's fine. I just called to ask you where you're supposed to go to change your last name…?"**

_"Why do you want to… OH MY GOD! CARLISLE! HE DID IT!"_

.

Call from **Bella** to _Alice_:

_"Bella…"_

**"Relax Alice, they haven't even released me from the hospital yet. I couldn't have possibly injured myself again."**

_"Phew! Okay, what?"_

**"I'm going to be a Cullen!"**

_"AHH! Congratulations! How did he do it?"_

**"The nurse came in, said something about him being my fiancé already, then he dropped to one knee and just asked."**

_"That's it? No special dinner or writing it out in the sky? He asked you in the ER?"_

**"Yes, and you can shut up. It was perfect."**

.

Call from **Bella** to _Rosalie_:

_"Well, hello there Miss Almost-Cullen."_

**"I am going to take Emmett's big mouth and get the doctor to stitch it shut."**

_"Oh, don't be mad. He was just excited."_

**"Yeah, but I wanted to tell you..."**

.

After I finished spreading the great news, Edward and I mutually decided that a long engagement was best. We were in no way ready to be a married couple yet, especially with so much distance between us. After a long discussion on when we should get married, we kind of already had a date picked out.

We would graduate in May and then give each other time to settle into post-graduate life. It was assumed that Edward would be a full-time resident working at an undecided hospital and I would hopefully have found a teaching job in the same area as him.

The 'sort of date' was planned for around the end of November. It was enough time to adjust to work-life and also the period time Edward and I started dating for real our Junior year of high school. Plus, I always wanted an autumn wedding.

This meant from right here in this moment, if everything went as our small, concocted plan hoped, we would be getting married in roughly… three years and nine months.

I couldn't wait.

.

"Are you sure? That is a really, _really_ long engagement." Alice sighed. She was a little disappointed we weren't going to be officially husband and wife this month, let alone three whole years.

"Yeah, we know that, but can you see a marriage working when we're on two totally opposite sides of the state? And plus, we're only nineteen. Technically still teenagers." I pointed out.

"Yes, but the government states that you're a legal adult at the age of eighteen." She argued back.

"I'm not fighting you on this, Alice. I'll be getting married when I'm twenty-three. Get over it."

"Alright… so! Who is going to be your Maid of Honor?" she asked excitedly.

"Emmett." I replied, dead serious.

"Bellaaaa!"

"He already agreed to it and everything. So you and Rose can fight over being best man." I snickered and limped over to sit on the couch.

I had been out of the hospital for a couple of days now. Edward left yesterday, even though I told him to go home the day I was released. He got me to quit arguing by saying that he wanted to take care of his fiancé.

He knew he had a weapon against me now and wasn't afraid to use it. Anytime he dropped the f-bomb, I was putty in his hands, dreaming of white dresses, flowers, and little people on top of a cake.

But when he did leave it was more than hard to say goodbye, especially now with this new title on our relationship.

The day I got home from the hospital, more people came and visited me than ever. Kate, Irina, Jared, and Garrett came over with some casserole Emmett apparently asked them to make, because I was cripple now and wouldn't be able to make as many meals as he liked now…

Jacob stopped by while they were visiting too; it surprised me how long it had been since I had seen all my college friends. I guess I had just been too busy with Edward drama and then I went and almost killed myself… that doesn't leave too much extra time for friends.

To make up for lost times, I embarrassed Jacob by asking him all about Leah. He told me that they were still learning everything about each other and still in that phase where he was always second-guessing himself on whether or not he was being a good boyfriend or not. It was hilariously cute.

Then when Irina was distracted, Jared pulled me aside and was all fidgety, asking me how he should tell Irina he loved her. I was so excited for the two of them and a little proud of myself. I mean, I was the one who set the two of them up and now they were in love!

A few other people from my classes stopped by and the whole time I was just waiting for Jane to pop in, but she never did.

"Bella, if Emmett is your Maid of Honor I will not come to your wedding!" Alice tried to threaten me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Well, then I guess that means Rose gets to be Best Man…" I mumbled loud enough so she could hear.

"Ughhhh! Isabella Marie Swan, you are starting to piss me off!" Alice growled and then hung up.

**EPOV**

I shoved the door to my dorm open and flung all my crap onto my bed. I turned to go shut the door back, but stopped when I saw Brooke leaning against the frame.

"Hey…"

"I have nothing to say to you." I tried to say as nicely as possible.

She acted like she didn't even hear me, "Where'd you go?"

"Pullman."

"Oh, that's where Bella lives, isn't it?"

"Not that it's actually any of your concern but, yes, my _fiancé_ does live there." I put an emphasis on the one word because hopefully Brooke would get the picture and leave me alone if she knew how serious Bella and I were.

"Fiancé?"

I just shot her a glare and started unpacking the small bag I had taken with me.

"You're marrying her?"

Whatever shirt I had in my hand, I threw it back down on the bed and spun around to face her. This was going to end. Now, "Yes. I am marrying Bella, because I love her. Not you. I don't even like you a little bit, Brooke, so just back off."

"You don't understand how big of a mistake you're making…"

"No, I don't have to because there is no mistake to be made!"

"You'll wish you listened to me when you're trapped in some miserable marriage with a girl you don't truly love!"

"No, you can go to hell. That would only happen if I was with you, Brooke. Goodbye." I carefully shut the door in her face and grabbed my phone. I needed to hear Bella's voice.

I dialed those seven digits that always brought me that much closer to Bella and waited for her to answer.

"Hey! Did you just get back?"

"I love you. I don't want anyone else but you, forever."

"Well, that's sweet, but why are you telling me this?"

"I just talked to Brooke."

"Oh…" I couldn't tell if she sounded mad at me or at Brooke.

"I told her we were engaged and she told me I was making a mistake. I told her to go to hell…" I said sheepishly. Now that I replayed it in my head, it sounded pretty harsh.

Bella started laughing quietly and I felt my own face light up. I should have known she would like that I told Brooke that.

"I love you, Edward. And I don't want anyone else but you for forever either."

"That's good because I won't take the ring if you try to give it back. That sucker is yours."

**BPOV**

After the call from Edward, I laid my phone on the table and sat back. There were two things running trough my head.

One: I would have to eventually decide on a Maid of Honor, but I'll let Rosalie and Alice sweat it out for a while longer.

And two: I was so relieved Edward still understood how much of a home wrecking whore Brooke tried to be with us and still hated her. I didn't know if I could ever accept her as Edward's friend if they made up. It was always a little worry I had in the back of my head that someday she would convince Edward she had changed or something.

Thankfully, it didn't look like that would ever happen.

I still couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that I would be legally tied to Edward soon. Maybe it was the fact that it wouldn't be for almost another 3 years, or maybe because I was still only a freshman in college.

It was also hard to believe that the school year was almost over. Granted, there was still a few more months, but then we would pack up and head back to Forks for the summer and who knows what would happen then. There could be three of us Almost-Cullens running around Washington, this time next year.

All I knew was that anything that came at us, any of the six of us, we could take it. This year proved that. It's expected that we'll have more fights in the future, but no matter what, Alice and Rose will always be my sisters, Emmett will always be my brother, Jasper will always be my best friend, and Edward will always be just... _mine_.

Through all the phone calls, texts, voicemails, winter formals, basketball games, secrets, mudding, broken hearts, tears, 'I love you's', Emmett and Jasper's crazyness, Edward's momma's boyness, Alice's hyperness, Rose's protection, all the Tanyas, Jonathans, Brookes, Mikes, and Jessicas, all the friends we've made, creepy roommates, visits to the hospital, surprises, and apartments, we stuck together.

But most importantly, through all the 'really, really's' we felt the love shared.

And I _really, really_ can't wait to see where life takes us next.

**A/N: Ring is on my profile :)**

**We still have the epilogue, so don't get too depressed yet! I will post it on Sunday :)**

**.**

**Favorite Part?**

**Edward telling brooke off ;)**

**.**

**Teams:**

**-Team-Jane's-a-creepy-hero  
-Team-Emmett-can-be-at-my-bedside-any-day  
-Team-Some-People-Should-be-like-Rosalie-and-expect-Bella-to-have-more-injuries..**

**.**

**Please Review and Follow! ( www . twitter . com / lleighhh )**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	28. Epilogue: 4 Years Later

**A/N: Okay... this is it...**

****important author's note at the bottom! please _everyone_ read it after the chapter!**

**.**

_4 years later_

"Edwaaaaarrrrd!" I yelled through the apartment and shortly saw Edward appear from our bedroom.

"What?"

"I thought you said you were going to fix the table. It's still all wobbly and everyone is coming over in fifteen minutes." I gently shook our dining room table to show him just how badly it needed to be repaired, and fast.

"I thought I did fix it!"

"Well obviously not!" I shook it again, "If we're going to be eating on here, it has to be sturdy. I don't want food getting all over the floor."

Edward grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and went to go look for what I hoped were the supplies to fix my table.

We had only been married for about three months now and this would be the first time everybody would see our new condo. And the only thing I wanted was to not have to clean up Emmett's mess when he inevitably spilled all over our brand new carpet because the table was broken.

Edward came back with a small block of wood and some duck tape.

"You're going to duck tape it back together?"

"Just for now, Bella. I'll fix it later when I have more than fifteen minutes."

"Really? Because you've been meaning to fix it for a whole week now."

"If you keep nagging at me like that, I'm sure I'll end up fixing it tomorrow morning."

I rolled my eyes and went to make sure I had dinner prepared. This had been an ongoing normalcy for us. The first month of our marriage, we had the honeymoon (which was amazing) and after we got back Edward and I were still completely blissed out about being husband and wife.

When the second month started, we began all the nitty-gritty stuff like consolidating bank accounts, deciding which of each of our things we had to get rid of, and finding a place to live.

That's when all our little arguments began.

At first I was a little worried, we had never fought all that much and this was new. I talked to my mom about it and she laughed at me, saying that all married couples fought at least half the time.

So that's what we did. We butted heads about _everything_. What neighborhood we were going to live in, what type of car I should get now that the truck had died, right down to what we were going to have for dinner most nights.

The fighting wasn't all that bad though, because at the end of the day we both knew it was just a dumb argument about something we could deal with later. We would go to bed, still the happy couple I knew so well and save whatever problems we had for the next day.

It worked for us.

For everyone else though, things had been a little rough.

In our junior year of college, Alice and Jasper broke up for about three and a half months. It happened when Alice was talking about what kind of job she wanted when she graduated from college. Jasper had his heart set of staying in Washington and finding a high school teaching job there. Alice wanted to move down south a little where it was warmer and had more opportunities for someone in fashion.

Somehow they decided that neither of them could just compromise and broke up. It was absolutely horrible. Jazz became a hyper chatterbox that tried to distract himself from ever thinking about Alice again and Alice barely spoke or wanted to be around anybody those few months.

It all fell apart one day when Jasper just gave up and called Alice, begging to let them work this out. Alice was a little skeptical, for reasons I never knew, but agreed to see him anyway.

They practically disappeared for three days and when Jasper came back to school, he was all smiles and had Alice hooked on his arm.

During those three days, I was told there was a good amount of yelling, planning, and making up. They got married a few months before Edward and I, and now Alice works at a modeling agency as a wardrobe stylist for photo shoots. She's currently still working on a line of ball gowns with her friend Embry Call and plans to try and start selling them in about a year's time.

Jasper teaches History and Social Studies classes at the local community college and is still taking classes himself so he can become a university professor.

Rosalie and Emmett were (and still are) a totally different story. They never had any kind of big blow up like us other two couples had, just many, _many_ little arguments frequently. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that that had changed. Out of nowhere Rose suddenly realized that she was the only one of us left who didn't have a ring on her left hand. She got all worked up and started a huge fight about it with Emmett, saying that he didn't want to be with her forever and commit.

Emmett was totally blindsided by all of this. When I talked to him, he admitted that the only reason he hadn't proposed was because he didn't catch any 'signs' from Rose that she wanted that.

As nicely as I could, I slapped him across the back of the head and told him he was stupid and asked if he knew Rosalie Hale at all.

That's what tonight was about.

Emmett was with Rosalie, right now, out at some fancy and expensive restaurant so he could propose. Jasper and Alice were going to have dinner with Edward and I, and then Emmett was supposed to bring Rose back to our place to celebrate.

…and it looked like we would have to celebrate on a broken table.

I watched as Edward wrapped the tacky tape around one of the table legs when someone started knocking on our door.

When I answered it, I was met by a large mound of balloons covering up Alice's face.

"Decorations are here!" she sang and stumbled past the threshold.

"Alice, I thought we weren't doing decorations."

"It's a party, though! You can't have a party without balloons!"

"…And a big cake, apparently." Jasper sighed as he came in carrying a large box, which I assumed held the cake.

We set aside all of the balloons and cake to fix for later and sat down to eat.

Alice and Jasper asked us all about how well we were adjusting to California. We had decided to move here after Alice realized this location would be better for her job, Rose was offered a position at a celebrity news station, and Edward was accepted into their medical school.

Jasper, Emmett, and I just decided to follow them.

Emmett ended up working at a huge gym as a personal trainer and was personally requested for private sessions often. This was surprisingly not an issue with Rosalie, though. She was proud all the women wanted her boyfriend and couldn't have him.

And I am now a high school English teacher. I never thought I would really like it, all the teenagers with hormones raging and attitudes the size of Texas, but its turned into something I really loved. I even convinced school board to let me start a literature club. We get together a couple days out of the week after school and talk about anything that has to do with books the kids want. Sometimes, students will come in just so we can go more in depth with what we're reading in class.

I have to brag and say that I grade more A+ papers and tests than any other teacher in that school, too.

We had just finished cleaning up and pulled the cake put of the box when Emmett's loud laughter echoed from outside the door, followed by his loud bangs on the door instead of knocking.

Alice squealed and quickly untied the balloons while Edward went to answer the door.

Rosalie was visible first and had her hand fanned out towards us, "I'M GETTING MARRIED!"

Alice and I squealed and jumped around with her while Emmett received pats on the back and fist bumps from his brothers.

After the initial excitement died down, we all grabbed a slice of cake, much to Alice's persistence, and started going over wedding details.

I thought they wouldn't bug me about it tonight, but then all eyes turned to me, "So Bella, since Alice was your Maid of Honor, and I was Alice's Maid of Honor, guess who gets to be mine…?"

I knew the answer to that question… It meant countless hours of _me_ planning and perfecting and organizing until Rose was happy. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the stress that came with that title, which is why I had gotten out of it for Alice's wedding. "I do…" I sighed.

"That's right! So I was thinking we would start calling everybody tonight, and then go look at…" Rose kept rambling on about plans to go pick our invitations and flowers and _blah, blah, blah._

I shot Edward a look and he only chuckled quietly at me. He knew this was coming.

After another couple of hours of more wedding talk, Edward had politely shuffled everyone out of our house, thankfully.

"You ready for Rosalie to transform into Bridezilla?" Edward smirked. He had been calling her that ever since Emmett let us in on the proposal details. Edward just 'knew' Rose was going to be worse than Alice on her wedding day.

"No, I just want to not think about it until I absolutely have to." I groaned. I never said I didn't agree with him...

"Well, I think I can help with that." He grabbed me around the knees and I was flung across his shoulder as Edward started making his way to our bedroom.

"Wait! The kitchen is still a mess, we need to clean that up." I said suddenly, I did not want to wake up on a Saturday morning to a gross, dirty kitchen.

"I'll do it tomorrow." Edward said and kept moving.

"And fix the table?" I asked sweetly.

"Yes, dear."

"I love you, Edward." I giggled and awkwardly hugged him from my position.

"I love you more, Bella." I saw his crooked smile as he tossed me onto the bed and kissed me.

"Really?" I whispered.

"Really, really." I felt, more than heard, him say against my lips.

Needless to say, Rosalie's wedding, and my messy kitchen were quickly forgotten.

**A/N: That's all. No more :(**

**YOU GUYS! we are sooooooooo so so sooo close (like _THISCLOSE_) to getting one thousand reviews for "Really, Really", so please, please, puhhh-leeeeeeze review for me! ;)**

**.**

**I will be posting an A/N update later today, so please don't forget to look for that sometime today ;)**

**I've had a blast with this fun group of kids, but now its time to move on. Yes, i could probably create a third installment with married life, but I just can't find it in me to get excited about another fic with the same exact characters. I _do_ have a new fic that is already in the works, though. I've mentioned it to a few readers, and they seemed to like the idea, so I'm excited for it ;) I'll have a sneak peek of it later in an author's note chapter updated on this story, so stay alerted for that!**

**I want to thank all of my reviewers for giving me their feedback, and opinions on my writing. It really does help when I know how you all feel about the story ;) ...and plus a lot of you are very funny people and make me lmao :D**

**And to all of you who don't review, but still read, I'd like to thank you for liking what I write haha :) It really, really does surprise me how many hits I get and people who actually like this stuff lol.**

**.**

**So, for the last time... Favorite?**

**Edward choosing duck tape to fix the table.**

**.**

**I will have a list of all frysty members in my a/n update, so everyone please add **frysty** to your review one more time if you are a member so I can make sure I get everybody ) **

**.**

**Teams:  
-Team I really want to see Emmett as Maid of Honour!  
-Team-I-Wish-I-Could-Be-A-Future-Mrs-Cullen  
-Team THIS IS THE BEST FRICKEN STORY EVER **_:D  
_**-Team-happily-ever-after**

.

**I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!**

**Thanks for putting up with me and my cliffies for so long ;)**

**Love, Emeleigh**


	29. AN & New Fic

Hey! So now that RR is finished, I started a new fic. It's about four chapters in and I haven't decided when I plan on posting it yet, but it should be sometime later this summer. I would like to get about halfway through the whole story before posting so that way I can post every sunday or something.

The title is "I Should Be Sleeping" and i'll be referring to it as ISBS for short. It's about Bella, Alice, Rosalie, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett who all live in Seattle. I'm not going to give away too much, but BxAxR are best friends and Edward moves to Seattle and meets JxEm. Esme and Carlisle also play pretty big parts in this fic too, but they are not anyone's parents. They all meet each other, but what's wrong is that they don't exchange any information so they 'should be sleeping' but all they can do is think about this wonderful person they just met.

The following piece is from the first chapter, which mainly introduces everyone. I hope you like it! :)

_**.**_

_**Summary: Bella, Alice, and Rosalie are the newest additions to Volterra magazine. Edward is the newest addition to Jasper and Emmett's lives. Several different run-ins with this group of six leaves them bumping into each other all over Seattle. What do you do when the only person you can think about didn't even tell you their name?**_

**Chapter 1 – Bosses & Friends**

**Bella Swan**

…zzz...

I spun around in my chair once more before I stood up and popped my head over the wall of my cubicle, "Good morning Mary Alice!" I said cheerfully.

"Yeah…hi." Alice waved her hand dismissively at me while she studied the arrangement if pictures on her desk. I watched her move one frame half a centimeter to the right and then move it back two centimeters to the left. That girl had serious OCD problems…

Scooting across to my other wall, I leaned over and found Rosalie trying out different screensavers for her computer, "Morning, Rosy Posy!"

"Good morning Jelly Belly!" she laughed back.

I went to go sit back down in my chair when instead, my ass made contact with the gray carpet, "Stupid rolling seat, just stay in one place!" I grumbled and pulled myself back onto my feet.

**Edward Masen**

…zzz...

"Well…uhh…" I ran my free hand through my hair as I thought about what to say, "I grew up in Chicago, I'm an only child, and I used to work at this crappy college radio station back in Illinois… what else would you like to know?"

"Got a girl?" Emmett asked suggestively.

"Nah, I mean I've dated but never anything too serious. At least not since high school…"

"Yeah, same here. There just aren't any girls that have struck me as the type I could bring home to mom…" he replied thoughtfully.

"That's because your mom is picky. No one is good enough for her Baby Emmy." Jasper cooed, as Emmett flicked a pepperoni at him.

**.**

**That's my new fic ;) All of you twitterers will be hearing me talk about this fic a lot more now. **

**And if you're not following me already and you want to know more about my new fic, you _should_ follow me :)  
(www . twitter . com / lleighhh)**

**.**

**I will make a seperate post that lists all frysty members sometime this week when i have everyone's username, so don't remove RR from your alert's list yet!**

**.**

**Again, thank you everyone for all your support and love for "RR" and "555-1073", I'll miss it for sure, but team frysty will live on :P**

**And I will be posting outtakes for this story too! (well, when i actually write them i will ;))**

**.**

**LOVE YOU!**

**Emeleigh**


	30. Team Frysty

**__*******7/13/10***note that i have completed this story, so i will not be updating the list of frysty members anymore. but thank you so much for all your support and love with this fic!*****

**HEY!**

**...I have got to say that it is really, _really_ weird not having something to post every week ;)**

**As promised, I have the official list of all Team Frysty members! There is a total of 59 of us! But, if you requested to be part of the team and do not find yourself on the list, please check over it again and if you still do not see it then let me know. If you do see your name but _did not _request to be on the team, then I put you one there myself because I thought you should be apart of it whether you like it or not ;)**

**So, I am proud to announce the official frysketeers of 2010:**

**Jade-loves-Edward  
Tommygrl1997  
HideandSeeking  
FishluvsJasperCullen  
BE4evz  
nougat81  
RosesFromDrew  
BeccaXO  
JanePain  
SweetLovinCullen  
KianaBby.  
tashieeeee.  
twihard22  
h2ocatluvr33  
MakaylaLCullen  
Roseabell16  
FaNpIrE302028  
jacob-is-a-stupid-mutt  
PurpleScorpion  
twilight96-angel  
SagaInLove123  
Stark-n-Dimitri-luvr95  
Rhee16  
MrsCullenOMG  
browneyes214  
Bella-18-Swan  
Mrs. Edward B. Cullen  
xoxotinygurlxoxo  
EnvyMyMidnight  
XBITEME14X  
GoLdEnAnGeL80  
lovetoread19  
hdj  
ingik  
Edwardish  
TwilightLover908  
amethyst9725  
Jacob'sNessie x  
twilight-girl19  
RandomPurpleBook  
MissTwilightLove  
Sunrise-Sophiiee  
Lidee'Scarlett  
Lalaranya  
annamarie'sawston  
pat'loveslautner04  
booklover2thextreme  
fill-this-space-idle-words  
Amanda Rich  
AshLuvsU  
emilylovee  
RobPattinsonLover13  
twilightluver2013  
Dreamchaser122  
RandiA. K. AMiranda  
Bella-18-Swan  
SuperEvilBunnehh  
crazyperson17  
lleighhh**

**:)**

**I have other news too!  
Two new people on fanfiction, aside from _ale phoenix_, asked me if they could translate "555-1073" and "Really, Really". So, _Aniaaa.a_ will be translating them into Polish and _Seegurke_ will be translating them into German! I will have links to them up on my profile when I get a PM back from them that they have started, because they deserve some love for translating like 60 chapters into a different language!**

**:)**

**I also have a blog now!  
This way you guys can just come to this website to see what's going on with me and my fics :)**

**_www . lleighhh . tumlr . com_**

**:)**

**That's all!  
Remember to follow me on twitter too!**

**( www . twitter . com / lleighhh )**

**Love, Emeleigh  
**


End file.
